Have you heard of Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream in London? I’ve been seeing a lot of videos about their Halo-Halo on TikTok and this has truly caught my attention. The shop is best known for selling ‘dirty ice cream’ but don’t worry it is not literally dirty. Mamasons just meant that it’s affordable, delicious, and homemade just like how it’s being sold in the streets of the Philippines.
Right before I flew to the UK in 2017, Mamason has opened its doors in Camden and even though I work in London, I haven’t been there which is a shame.
I’m really delighted they opened up a store in Central London, particularly in Chinatown. Their new store is in fact just a stone’s throw away from another Filipino food icon, Jollibee.
Here’s an honest review of their Halo-Halo and The Bilog.
Let’s start with ‘The Bilog‘ (£6.50 / roughly Php 450), their toasted pandesal ice-cream sandwich. On your first bite, you’d definitely feel the sturdy outer layer of the pandesal compared to the traditional one back home. The taste of this familiar Filipino bread roll has brought me back to my younger years where I used to buy 10 to 20 pieces of pandesal on a hot summer weekend. When your tastebuds reach the ube ice cream filling, you’d taste a fusion of flavours – the ube plus the saltiness of the pandesal which I think acts as a neutralizer.
Lastly, Mamasons Halo-Halo (£6.50 / around Php 450). To be frank, it is by far the Halo-Halo nearest to what we have back in the Philippines. It has the shaved ice, coconut strips, sweet red jelly bean, leche flan, evaporated milk, wafer stick, ube ice cream, kaong but one thing I did not fancy – the jackfruit. I felt the jackfruit strip was too sweet or very preserved. Nothing wrong with it as I understand we couldn’t always get any fresh jackfruit in the UK – I just did not like it.
Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream has been putting the Filipino dessert scene in London. With social media, not only do Filipinos in the UK enjoy their delightful desserts, but they also have an international raving fan ready to line up in-store.
So is it just a fad or worth the hype? Let me know what your experiences are in the comments section.
When in London, visit Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream on any of these locations:
- 32 Newport Ct, London WC2H 7PQ (Chinatown near Leicester Square)
- 91 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8NY (Camden)
Let’s connect. I’m @vicmadz on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.