Filipinos dream of Winter, an indication of desire. They do it quite often, mostly because of our own hot and humid, mere tropical weather. When a snowflake slowly falls, you look at it with amazement as it slowly trickles down from the sky and think - how can this thing be so beautiful, so perfectly cold and crystal. You just want to snuggle up with a cup of cocoa, sprinkle with a generous amount of marshmallows, add more chocolate to it and bite off a chocolate chip cookie or two. Or if it's hot outside and you just want to chill, wouldn't it be lovely to have your own spot, sit down and with your friends? Wait, that didn't sound right. I know, we don't have Winter here... but don't worry, I think I can help you with that. I just heard Winter Garden Desserts just opened last month in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.
Winter Garden serves mighty good liquid nitrogen made desserts. The place lives and breathes cold sweetness, they want to transport you into your own little cove, to ultimately make you happy much like when you see a clear blue sky or just when you get to that point where snowing starts and the snowflakes glisten in the sun. They call this "kazahana" in Japan and the owners would like you to experience that.
Proud owners/cousins Cecile Perez and Danny Vitan felt it was time to have something special in this area. They are also planning to have more warm food items too in the next few months. Their consumers should be excited about that. As of now, they've got two types of dessert available in this place both of which are still made with liquid nitrogen techniques, a new thing in culinary progression in the Philippines. I saw this in real life in kitchens of CCA and some hotels but never for a dessert establishment, hole in the wall you may think - but this is something new.
Liquid Nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid that can cause rapid freezing. In the store, we saw two huge tanks probably sealed in vacuum where they use and apply it on the cream base so that the mix can become dessert instantly. The process isn't as easy as you think, I personally saw how they made my ice cream because they have an open kitchen. They make it right when you ask for it and it's a spectacle, a show on it's own.