Kiss the Tiramisu expansion to Philippines

South Korean dessert cafe Kiss the Tiramisu has opened its first store in the Philippines.

In Salcedo Village, Makati City, it joins the roster of Kiss the Tiramisu branches in such countries as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Shirley Vy of local franchisee Foodeology says that as an ice-cream lover, she likes to try something new and different. “So when I was walking the streets of Hong Dae in Seoul, I saw a booth with a long queue. It was Kiss the Tiramisu … My first bite was totally magical – my unforgettable first ‘kiss’. At that moment, I knew I wanted to bring this brand to the Philippines.”

Kiss the Tiramisu founder Jiro Kim says he wondered what would happen if tiramisu ice cream was made using mascarpone cheese. His curiosity paid off, with queues forming for the resulting product.

His ice cream is delivered in a gold-rimmed acrylic glass. A cup is assembled with a smear of mascarpone cheese first, followed by soft-serve ice cream with layers of cookies, syrups or cakes. For the Philippines, there are four variants…

Original Tiramisu: Mascarpone soft-serve with layers of coffee-soaked cake, coffee sauce and a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

Matcha Ice Cream: Matcha sauce is added to the coffee-soaked cake and mascarpone ice cream, with a sprinkling of matcha powder to finish.

Injeolmi: This features a Korean cake and a sprinkling of soybean powder.

Midas Touch: Kiss the Tiramisu creates a special flavour for every country it has outlets, and for the Philippines it is a soft-serve cup with ube (purple yam) cake, caramel custard and layers of crushed barquillo biscuits drizzled with caramel sauce. For the “Midas” element, there is some edible gold leaf.

More Kiss the Tiramisu branches will follow soon in the Philippines.