Best of my summer coolers:)

The last days of summer are here in our tropical country and this has been one long hot season indeed. The bad thing is that my ultra-sensitive skin suffered from breakouts which my doctor attributed to the humid weather (aaach! no bikinis, shorts and tubes for moi this time around); the good thing is that I’ve taken comfort in drinking gallons of H20 and munching on a variety of thirst-quenching coolers, hence this post. Imagine me sitting in a cafe with my favorite magazine, glass of iced cappuccino on hand and you get the drift.

Here’s the ‘best of my summer coolers’ drumroll:

Kiwi fruit sherbet at Fruit Pops, Pan Pacific Manila has got to be my cooler discovery of the year. The pricey tag (P125 for a bowl) couldn’t keep me from having more of this flavorful dessert. Slices of healthy kiwi (or other favorite toppings like peaches, mango, strawberry and coffee jelly) with red beans, ice cream, ice and their secret ingredient mocha powder. I call this Korean halo-halo (because it’s in a Korean-owned stall with the freezer of Haagen-Dasz goodies) and nothing can absolutely compare.

Buko ni Fruitas. I get this yummy fruit fix at the Robinson’s food court in Manila though other stalls can be found in major malls.

Priced very affordably at P49 or $1, this could pass for your original Pinoy halo-halo only that it wins points in my book for presentation. Slices of watermelon, sweetened beans, banana, mango, gulaman, nata de coco and other fruits in season are placed in a freshly-topped bowl of coconut with the juice and the meat still intact..nothing can be more irresistible.

Wendy’s Biggie Iced Tea… everybody’s favorite, at least in our office. We’ve scoured all the fastfood chains for the best iced T and it seems nothing can match the sweet lemony goodness of this one.

Pinoy halo-halo. Everybody screams Razon’s and when it’s not so accessible, one can always partake of the ones offered by popular fastfood chains like Chow King and Pancake House. Don’t forget the leche flan!

Red grape fruit frappe at Delifrance. I like the fact that I can actually taste the red grape bits in this cooler, placed in a tall glass with ice, milk, honey and what not. Again, a bit pricey at P125 but very much worth the try.

Pocari Sweat. Was quite surprised that this yummy ion drink I tasted in Tokyo is now available at the neighborhood Ministop. At least there’s now something to give Gatorade a run for its money.

Ice candy. The stuff my childhood dreams are made of; in buko, mongo, strawberry, grape and every flavor imaginable. Back when we were small, there was at least a couple of houses on the block with the “Ice Candy For Sale” sign, now I’d be lucky to see one. Not to worry because there are ready-made ones available at the grocery though I have to admit, it was best when it was freshly made at our moms’ kitchens.

To be continued..if you have other “cooler finds” please feel free to post them here:)