Gelatissimo: Good Gelato, Terrific Tambayan

Summer brings temperatures that melt one's brain. If you're a student or someone with a job that requires you to be on your laptop and connected to the 'Net, you might just want to go out and chill somewhere, but it can be quite hard to get a good spot in your typical cafes. CBTL's got free Wi-Fi for Swirl Card owners, but recently most branches have cut back on the number of electrical outlets. Starbucks usually have many outlets, but their Wi-Fi access isn't exactly cheap and the noise levels in their branches can be irritating. In any case, the sheer number of other people who want a place to cool off in these hot summer days makes finding a good work/study spot difficult.

Enter Gelatissimo.

Well, in this case, it's just Gelatissimo Trinoma. I haven't tried other branches (heck, I don't know where the other branches are except for that stall in Greenbelt). It's cool, cozy, bright, and has a plethora of gelato flavors from which you can choose. There are three outlets, and usually it's not hard to get a spot because most people don't really stay for long. Just be prepared to wait a bit sometimes because the place can get crowded thanks to the Trinoma Cinema promo [every ticket comes with a "buy 1 scoop, get 1 free" stub]. The Wi-Fi is free and fast, too.

The staff will let you sample the flavors before you invest--one scoop is a steep PhP110, two scoops cost PhP160, and so on. Flavors range from the commonplace convenience store varieties like vanilla and mango to the more exciting ones like chocolate truffle and chocolate with chili (I forget the exact flavor name). They also have my favorite, pistachio [though I still think Arce Dairy's is the best pistachio ice cream on the market]. You can also opt to add a warm waffle to your scoops for just 50 pesos. They also have gelato shakes, sundaes, and affogato. For large groups, you can try out the Bambino, which is 32 small scoops of your choice.

My go-to order is the PhP200 Coppa Tre. It's basically a sundae made up of three big Gelato scoops. You get to choose the flavors, and it comes with a cracker, whipped cream, a stick or two of Stik-o, choco dip, random crushed nuts, and a cherry on top. I don't really know which flavors get this, but on occasion, my girlfriend and I have had coppa tres with a small sugar cone and in a different glass cup. Anyway, it's a nice mid-range treat that somehow, in my mind, justifies leeching off the establishment's electricity and Internet connection for 4 to 6 hours. It's near what you'll be spending for a drink or two in a cafe, depending on how dependent you are on caffeine.

Coppa Tre

Aside from the dependable Wi-Fi and the outlets, the ambience also helps get work done. It's never too noisy, people usually don't stay longer than 15-20 minutes, and most of the seats are comfortable. The place also has its own clean comfort room inside. And there are chandeliers, man. I don't know how that helps, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless.

So there. Gelatissimo Trinoma is an excellent alternative to the three Starbucks and two Coffee Beans in that mall. If you're someone who needs to get some studying or work done, you can ditch the usual jam-packed places and just head on straight to Gelatissimo to save yourself the trouble of finding a good spot. Plus, the staff's real nice and the gelato's great!