Yelo Yelo
The Courtyard, G/F UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
(SPOT.ph) Let’s be absolutely clear: There are no real tiers when it comes to Filipino cuisine. Our islands are so rich with different cultures and endemic flavors that it feels like a crime to try and determine which dish is “the best”, or to pick only one to represent us worldwide. (We love you, adobo, but you might need to take a nap.)
That said, Philippine desserts do not get nearly enough credit, and that’s a fact that needs changing. The makers of Sushi Nori seem to realize this as well, and have decided to rectify this somehow by creating Yelo Yelo.
The vibrant color scheme of the stand certainly draws the eye—reminiscent of a fiesta in a village near you—but it’s really the creative takes on old classics that make you sit your butt down at one of their tables. For instance, it can be argued that you can’t really improve on good old turon, which is fair enough: It’s sweet, it’s crunchy, what more could one want?
Funny that you should ask.
Yelo Yelo’s versions of Turon (P99/five pieces) aren’t better, necessarily, because nothing beats the original—but they are pleasantly different. Or differently pleasant. Who even knows? At any rate, the Banana Langka takes a street-food favorite to slightly more decadent places with Davao chocolate and pinipig, so that’s double the crunch. Suman Mangga are not words you’d normally associate with turon, but if you think about it, there’s no going wrong with this pair; not least because that caramel latik gives it a secondary layer of sharp sweetness.
The real kicker is the Dynamite Cheese—don’t you dare fake-gag! It’s brilliant! Black sesame seeds and spicy Japanese mayo make the world go round and nowhere is it truer than in these five little sticks of unexpected goodness.
But, all things considered, it’s summer. We’re regularly getting a UV index of 11 (wear your sunscreen, y’all) and that 50% humidity did not come to play around. So it’s only logical to give you the appropriate solutions—it is called Yelo Yelo, after all.
Suffice it to say, we’ve never had Maja Blanca (P129) like this: So subtle with all the accompanying flavors mingling perfectly. In fact, we’ve never had iterations of Filipino icy treats like these. This is no ordinary shaved ice, either. The texture falls within the perfect middle ground between what you’d normally get from your friendly neighborhood vendor and the delicate flakiness of bingsu—and their ice is made with milk. Say goodbye to watered-down desserts!
Mangga’t Suman (P169) is a combination worth repeating in this form—it’s extra refreshing! But Halo Halo (P169) has a little bit of edge over all the other bowls with that dehydrated pineapple slice, plus the standard leche flan and the smoothest ube ice cream for miles.
Don’t let the heat fool you, though. Yelo Yelo is definitely setting itself up to be a source of true treats year-round, and we hope to see them popping up in more locations. Fingers crossed!
Photos by Vincent Coscolluela
