Food, Restaurants

Elfav Ice Creamery – Another new “favorito”

Ice cream! Lotsa ice cream!

Coming from me, there can be no greater compliment to a restaurant than the fact that I can (and often do) stay there the whole day. It means I’m comfortable enough with the environs to settle down and make myself at home, and I like the restaurant’s food enough to order breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. When I start greeting the staff in neutral territory, like say, on the street, I know it’s love.

Now this is a place with a sound philosophy of life. :)

This is turning out to be a year of great new finds, as evidenced by another all-day-er (as opposed to an all-nighter) in yet another favorite new hangout: Elfav Ice Creamery in Pergola Mall (that’s in Phase 1 of BF Homes, just outside the Aguirre gate, in case you don’t know). Elfav is appropriately named too—it’s a brainchild of the same group that makes El Favorito ice cream (sold in, among other places, Robinsons grocery stores), and it certainly has become a fast favorite. You’d think that since I’m trying to make healthier eating choices, I’d steer clear of ice cream joints, but this place has struck a perfect balance between their ice cream (undoubtedly the star of this show) and their simple homestyle dishes, and has housed everything in a neat, smart shop that is the locational equivalent of comfort food.

Eggplant Parmigiana

First off, they have totally uncomplicated light meals that are really reasonable: my personal favorite is the Eggplant Parmigiana (P99) that comes with ciabatta bread and a small shot glass of ice cream (in Elfav parlance it’s a sampler) for dessert. This looks like a serving of lasagna with layers of yummy eggplant and cheese. It’s the sort of thing you’d eat at home (assuming you know how to cook), and it’s been inducing cravings quite regularly since I first tried it.

Less-than-hundred-peso T-bone Steak

Other meals we’ve tried are the T-bone Steak (also P99; who can resist a steak under a hundred bucks?), which isn’t exactly my cup of tea, though I must say it has die-hard fans (Jayvee, for one, loves this stuff). This is served with gravy, rice (a dainty quantity for guy-sized appetites, but enough for the likes of me) and veggies… naturally there’s ice cream for dessert as well.

Fillet of Fish Plate

There’s the Fillet of Fish Plate (no points for guessing how much—it’s also 99 bucks), soft fillets (didn’t get to ask what kind of fish, but it’s the fleshy, creamy kind, like dory) dipped in batter (not breading… batter, the smooth kind), served with honey mustard sauce and rice, veggies, and a small ice cream dessert, like the steak.

Nachos with three kinds of dip

I also like their Nachos (P89)—though sometimes the chips can be less-than-crispy, as chips tend to be—especially because they’re served with three kinds of dip, and the salsa, followed by a dunk in the melted cheese, is extremely good (the taste is pure tomato, no onions, which makes it rather sweet; the third dip is garlic mayo, also good, but not as riveting as the salsa).

Strawberry Ice Cream

Assorted toppings

Now would you look at that? I haven’t even gotten to the ice cream yet! Their ice cream is sheer creative genius—of course, they have excellent classic flavors, like vanilla (slightly sweet and delicately creamy), chocolate (very strong, dark, and organic-tasting), and strawberry (sweet in a way that’s reminiscent of childhood), and they have even more contemporary flavors like cappuccino (a light mocha-ey and creamy flavor), bubble gum (bright blue and playful, though—sorry—sans actual bubble gum bits), and turones de casuy (one of their bestsellers).

Surprise! Beer and Wasabi Ice Cream

But the real fun here (at least for me) is the chance to try their totally unique flavors: wasabi (imagine a creamy, sweet, and cold version of wasabi that still delivers a very subtle sting up your nose if you eat a lot of it at once), Yakult (don’t ask me about the bacteria—I don’t know if they survived the freezing process), and—my absolute favorite—beer ice cream! Yes, beer… complete with a sign noting its 3% alcohol content and prohibiting its sale to minors. And it really does taste like beer, I kid you not (again, just imagine it a bit milkier, sweeter, and frozen). The clincher is, it comes with little peanut bits—built-in pulutan!

Baileys Ice Cream

Tequila Rose Ice Cream

Exhibiting a supreme willingness to fool around with alcohol in the ice-cream R&D lab, they also have Baileys and Tequila Rose (available soon, just in time for Valentines)… perhaps soon they’ll change their name to Elfav Ice Creamery and Bar. Beer is a premium flavor, so it’s priced at P60 per scoop; I’m not sure how much the other alkie—er, alcoholic—flavors are. It’s also useful to note that not all flavors are displayed daily, but (here’s a secret) you can ask them for something specific and if they’ve got stuff hiding in the freezer, they’ll pull it out for you.

Their Iced Tea tastes like taho arnibal… yum!

So far I haven’t had a whole scoop of ice cream yet (P40 for a single scoop, P70 for a double)… which is the genius of this place, in a sense. They let you enjoy the ice cream no matter how big your appetite for it is: lots of kids come in for ice cream cones, dessert-loving couples share banana splits (P135), and ice cream dilettantes (like me) stay satisfied with their little shot glass servings (though if you’re really serious about the art of making ice cream, their machine, housed in a special partition up front, should be enough to keep you occupied). The ice cream itself isn’t the sort that get you nauseatingly full after a while—its consistency is somewhere between gelato and full-cream ice cream, which is what gives most flavors the subtly sweet and creamy taste—so it’s easy to eat and not really a “guilty” pleasure at all (I suppose all those sampler servings and tasting scoops must add up to something, but I feel absolutely no guilt here… well, not much, anyway).

Bright and cheery interiors

Have a game of chess…

… or if you’re not strategically inclined, settle for tic tac toe. (They also have Game of the Generals for all-out tactical warfare… though I haven’t asked the staff if they’re willing to be the arbiter.)

In addition to the food, the place is wonderfully designed: bright and airy with a summery, beach-y theme, comfortable no-nonsense couches, and games liberally spread out over all the tables (it’s like a limited, less intimidating version of Game Crab, and most guests end up playing—the first time we were here one couple was having a one-on-one chess lesson). There are power outlets next to the tables for your laptop, and—always, always a major draw—there’s absolutely free wifi. What’s not to like? (They don’t have a bathroom, but the ladies’ room for the whole building is near enough, and I’ve never heard a guy complain about bathrooms, so…)

Resty manning the counter

Finally, one of the most welcoming things (?) about Elfav is Resty, one of brains behind this charming shop (sorry Resty, I called you a “thing” hahaha). He makes his guests truly feel at home, and talks to his customers like old friends (which I suppose they do eventually become). That’s him behind the counter in the picture, but even if you can’t see him clearly, you’ll recognize him by his wide smile when you visit. Oh, and did I mention, he loves Southbound too? We’re a mutual admiration club, hahaha! So the skeptics may say that I’m probably biased when I say this is a great place, and maybe I am, but I’ll gladly sing the shop’s praises here. Go try it and you may, too.

Hmmm… so what does Oscar Wilde, of all people, know about women? Hahaha!

(Some pre-Valentines Day announcements: they’re serving ribs on Valentines weekend (on Friday and Saturday, I think) and they’re being cute and poking teddy bear toothpicks with love-inspired quotes into their food as well. You can cap off your date here… and if you don’t have one, well, there’s always ice cream.)

Elfav Ice Creamery
2/F Pergola Mall, Aguirre Avenue corner Elsie Gaches Street, Phase 1, BF Homes, Parañaque City
659-3025
elfav.pergola@yahoo.com
Operating hours: 11:30AM – 9PM daily

« Previous Post: Have a Sweet Lorraine Valentine

Next Post: Be Dazzled at Beadazzled »