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Sebastian's opens new flagship ice cream shop at Vertis North

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Jeeves de Veyra

MANILA -- The old Sebastian’s ice cream shop at SM Mall of Asia has long been a haven for ice cream connoisseurs with its rich, sometimes experimental, flights of frozen fancy by owner and sorbetero Ian Carandang. The MOA branch has been sorely missed as very few people really knew where to get the Sebastian’s quirky flavors since it closed late last year.The good news is that Sebastian’s has set up its new flagship store at Ayala Malls Vertis North on the other end of EDSA.“I had been wanting to do a partnership with Ayala because I felt that they were a good fit for us. When they presented the concept of what Vertis aimed to be (a mall targeted to the younger and modern community), I liked the demographics,” Carandang said in an e-mail interview.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/04/02/040218_sebastian1.jpg"/><figcaption>Sebastian’s has set up its new flagship store at Ayala Malls Vertis North. Photo by author</figcaption></figure></div>The new store is a lot bigger than the old MOA branch. It has an expanded kitchen and the Sebastian’s staff is now able to create full sundaes, shakes, and even hot items.Old favorites such as Once In A Blue Moon (blue cheese ice cream with a dollop of honey and topped with walnuts) and the Sapin-Sapin are still here, as well as Carandang’s more experimental flavors like the Green Mango topped with either bagoong or nam prik (Thai spicy salt), and the Champorado topped with dilis.New from the mad sorbetero’s lab are the Salted Caramel, Strawberry Brownie, Peppermint Brownie, and Walnut Brownie Chubby Bars, which are multi-layered bars of ice cream and special ingredients covered with chocolate then drizzled with the variant’s syrup.Carandang Sebastian&#x27;s Taho Milkshake. Photo by authoralso introduced a new Dark Lager flavor made with Cerveza Negra.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/04/02/040218_sebastian2.jpg"/><figcaption>Sebastian&#x27;s Taho Milkshake. Photo by author</figcaption></figure></div>Among the items that were launched when Sebastian’s moved to Vertis are his revamped milkshakes. The Taho Milkshake, in particular, embodies Carandang’s daring yet rational creations. By default, this milkshake uses unflavored sweet cream ice cream. Anything else, even vanilla, would just overpower the block of silken tofu and arnibal used in the milkshake.Sebastian’s also has a sundae for diabetics. The sugar-free Hot Fudge Sundae uses two scoops of Sweet Freedom ice cream and is topped with hot fudge, walnuts and whipped cream. The ice cream and fudge are sweetened with Isomalt and all the components in the sundae are 100% sugar-free.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/04/02/040218_sebastian3.jpg"/><figcaption>Sebastian&#x27;s Dipped Banana Split. Photo by author</figcaption></figure></div>On the more sinful side, Carandang’s Dipped Banana Split features chocolate, peanut butter, Nutella or ube-coated frozen bananas with candy sprinkles, chips and nuts.For those looking for hot food, Sebastian’s grillled sandwiches with sweet fillings like dulce de leche, Nutella, and peanut butter and jelly in crisp, butter-fried bread. I’d say these are better accompanied with a scoop of ice cream.The ice cream parlor has several ongoing promos. On Sundae Monday, all ice cream sundaes are at a discount, headlined by the Dipped Banana Split which is P100 off regular price. Warm Me Up Wednesdays offer buy one get one free on hot chocolates, while on Bring a Friend Friday, customers who buy two or more milkshakes, get P30 off each milkshake.Every day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is Grilled Sandwich Happy Hour where any purchase of a grilled sandwich gets a free cup of French press coffee.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/04/02/040218_sebastian4.jpg"/><figcaption>Customers get a free cup of French-press coffee for every order of grilled sandwich every day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by author</figcaption></figure></div>Despite the change of location and the upgrade of facilities, this is still the old Sebastian’s Manila’s ice cream lovers in the know have come to know and love where the ice cream is decadently rich, the flavors are daringly different, and the creations are as innovative as ever.Sebastian’s Ice Cream can be found at the 4th floor of Ayala Malls Vertis North and at the ground floor of the Regis Center on Katipunan, Quezon City.

The good news is that Sebastian’s has set up its new flagship store at Ayala Vertis on the other end of EDSA.

The good news is that Sebastian’s has set up its new flagship store at Ayala Vertis on the other end of EDSA.