Once again, make your own Magnum!

Dear New Year’s resolution, I’m sorry but I’m not sorry. When it came down between you and a bar of ice cream, you just weren’t good enough. Of course, I would never chuck you out like yesterday’s trash for any other ice cream. No, I’m talking about my very own Magnum bar — a customized ice cream bar with my own combination of toppings — made at the new Magnum Pleasure Store.

You may remember the first Magnum Pleasure Store in SM Aura a while back; even more memorable were the lines that snaked around it, with folks hoping to create Magnum bars of their own.

The new Pleasure Store is now at SM Mall of Asia, right across everyone’s favorite shops, and near the main entrance. It will stay true to the pop-up concept of every café they’ve put up, as Magnum Manila will be open for a limited time only. So you can imagine why myself, and many others, have come back for more since it opened last December. Totally worth adding to the holiday heft, in my opinion.

The thing is, the experience of making your own Magnum bar is just as much a part of the ice cream itself. At the counter, customers (or pleasure seekers, as we’re more aptly called) select three toppings for our ice cream. And while you will find toppings like marshmallows and nuts, the new Magnum Manila offers a lot more toppings for the more adventurous: queso de bola, pastillas, chili flakes, and even Nerds candies, among many more. Then you choose a bare Magnum bar of either silky vanilla or rich chocolate, then proceed with your preferred dip and drizzle. The combinations are endless, and totally unique to your own tastes. It’s almost like being behind the counter yourself, creating the ice cream with your own hands.

When I dropped by the store earlier, a few of us got to do just that, and I did not hesitate to let my imagination go wild behind the counter (how many times do you get to be a Magnum maker, after all?) With a milk chocolate dip and a dark chocolate drizzle, I chose the following toppings to go with my ice cream: potato chips, chili flakes, white chocolate balls, and corn flakes (an attempt to make it a little healthy). My Belgian chocolate oeuvre tasted amazing, naturally. You can’t really blame a girl for going for a second round with another selection of toppings.

The best part is the fun isn’t limited to a small number of pleasure seekers. Magnum Manila launched new, limited-edition toppings last January.

So to you, My Resolutions, I once again deny an apology. When you get a chance to make your own Magnum bar, all bets are off. Who knows? Maybe I’ll take you more seriously next year. Meanwhile, let me enjoy my ice cream.

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Enjoy a signature Magnum bar for P120 at the Magnum Pleasure Store, located on the second floor, main wing of SM Mall of Asia. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @magnum_ph or visit their website at www.magnum.com.ph/magnummanilamoa/index.php.