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Marcelo’s Microcreamery

Ralph Revelar Sarza

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1774754884570Marcelo&#x27;s Microcreamery 1.1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Marcelo’s Microcreamery bets on Filipino flavors and takes them further"/>Handout</div>Ice cream is easy to find in Manila. What’s harder to come by is one that feels distinctly Filipino without turning into a novelty.Marcelo’s Microcreamery leans into that space, launching in Makati with Romulo Cafe, a setting that already carries its own sense of history. It’s a pairing that makes sense. Familiar, but intentional. “I chose to launch it here because of our values,” said founder John Marcelo. “This restaurant in particular has a very rich history, aligned with a name, and we’re both writing a new chapter for tomorrow.”Instead of the usual sampling setup, the brand introduced itself through a guided “flighting.” Each scoop arrived alongside a Filipino dessert, with a printed passport that walked guests through the story behind every flavor. It slows the experience down. You taste, pause, then taste again. Marcelo puts it plainly: “Ice cream is a staple in our lives as Filipinos. I wanted to take that same experience of being able to discover something with child-like wonder while enjoying something sweet. This was a very personal experience for me, and I wanted to share that with the guests.”The flavors read like a familiar “merienda” spread: Inutak, Latik-Latik, Mangga’t Suman, Bilo-Bilo, Ube Macapuno Champorado, and Chocolate Champorado. Nothing leans gimmicky. The focus stays on getting the flavor right.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1774754925170Marcelo&#x27;s Microcreamery 1.0.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Marcelo’s Microcreamery bets on Filipino flavors and takes them further"/>Handout</div>There’s also a push beyond the local market. Marcelo is collaborating with <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2025/10/28/chef-nouel-catis-proves-his-artistry-goes-beyond-chocolate-in-new-collaboration-1100">Chef Nouel Catis, known for his Dubai Chocolate</a>, while also building the brand with the intention of bringing Filipino flavors abroad. He says that push outward is tied to how the ingredients are sourced. “It’s really to bring out the Philippine culture there, and everything kasi is imported to the Philippines. So, I think it’s about time to get our flavors out there. And while we get our flavors out there, it’s also to help our farmers that supply all these raw materials to us. We source it directly. We don’t go to middlemen. So, we really try to help them out,” he said.Marcelo didn’t come from kitchens. He comes from motorsports, with a family history that includes his father’s racing career, his brother Jovy’s time in IndyCar, and now his son Stefano competing across Asia. You see it in how the brand is put together, from the structured flighting at launch to a menu that stays tightly edited.Marcelo’s Microcreamery is now available in select supermarkets and restaurants, including Landers, The Marketplace, Robinsons Supermarket, Shopwise, and Romulo Cafe, with pints priced at around P469.Marcelo’s wears a premium price tag, but the cost stops mattering the moment the spoon hits. There is a quiet confidence in how these flavors are handled. They are presented as they are, with enough care to stand entirely on their own.The Mangga’t Suman will likely be the crowd favorite. It is vibrant, effortless, and the easiest to love. But for me, it’s the Bilo-Bilo that stays. It performs a strange and wonderful magic trick by capturing the specific, chewy nostalgia of a warm afternoon “merienda” and somehow making it make sense in a frozen pint.

No gimmicks, just flavor. Marcelo’s Microcreamery reclaims Filipino classics—from ube to bilo-bilo—with precision and purpose, turning everyday merienda into something worth slowing down for.

No gimmicks, just flavor. Marcelo’s Microcreamery reclaims Filipino classics—from ube to bilo-bilo—with precision and purpose, turning everyday merienda into something worth slowing down for.

Marcelo’s Microcreamery bets on Filipino flavors and takes them further

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Marcelo’s Microcreamery bets on Filipino flavors and takes them further

Ralph Revelar Sarza

Published March 29, 2026 05:00 PM PHT

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