Magnum Manila, Mall of Asia Pasay

My husband and I just found this place while strolling around MOA. I've read about this on Facebook however they don't have a branch in Cebu so I was absolutely ecstatic when I saw this place during my short visit in Manila. Not to mention, it only costs P120 to Decorate-Your-Own Magnum! I found it reasonable since it's about the same price as the DYO (Decorate Your Own) Ice Cream in Butterbean. The only difference is that the ice cream they use at Butterbean melts easily compared to the Magnum ice cream and it doesn't taste as good as the Magnum. Haha!

Update: they've recently opened up a store in SM Seaside Cebu a few months after eating here.

I just love the fact that they have a variety of toppings to choose from and you get to pick 3. I was just a bit disappointed when the lady at the counter personally chose 1 of the toppings for me. I chose the crushed pistachios first then she suggested that it goes perfectly with the dark chocolate balls & all of a sudden she added them to MY ice cream. So I only got to CHOOSE 2 toppings (didn't really have a choice after she proactively picked one for me. LOL) I respect her suggestion but it would've been great if I got to choose it myself. Haha! But nonetheless, my Magnum was sooo gooood and my son liked it very much!

They also have a nice set-up for their stall -- modern and very spacious. In fact, we decided to stay there a little longer after finishing our ice cream while waiting for the time before we head to the terminal for our 6-hour trip to Baguio. We were the only customers that time anyway and the lady at the counter didn't really mind.

Address:                  2F Main Mall, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Operating Hours:    10AM to 10PM (Mall hours)
Contact:                   Not available
Website:                   Magnum Manila - MOA

Café Berry, Lahug Cebu

As we all may have noticed, the number of themed cafes has risen in Cebu and each space is creatively designed to suit every mood or affinity. Whether it’s for a quick chitter chatter with friends, a way to de-stress, a place to study, or just to enjoy a nice slice of cake while sipping your favourite cup of coffee/tea… You’re bound to find at least one that takes your fancy. In our case, we found Café Berry!

Flowers and wine for the Store's opening

Our visit here was actually unintentional. My friend, Rachel, and I just happen to pass by this small & quaint café that had just recently opened while on our way to eat lunch, and what caught our attention was this large green sign in front that says: “Buy 1 Take 1!” and being the abstemious foodies that we are, we decided to pay this place a visit on our way back to the office.

Rachel and I while waiting.

The store’s front wasn’t really stellar (hence, we only noticed it because of the Buy 1 Take 1 sign) but their minimalist interior is something that I find very refreshing & I actually find the white brick walls with the little decorative artificial moss quite lovely. I just love that the décor isn’t too overwhelming but still brings out a chic and relaxing atmosphere.

Rachel and I ordered their Vanilla Latte Iced Coffee for P160 (we paid P80 each ‘cause of the promo). It was sweet, milky, potently vanilla-flavoured, but had no depth or bitterness from the coffee. It may not be a good choice for people who are trying to stay awake or those who just want their coffee to taste like, well, coffee). But being that gal who prefers her coffee sweet & milky, I actually liked it! And for P160 the cup was actually pretty tall (and full!).

Vanilla Latte. P160

Enjoying our iced coffee. Yum.

And just like any other café, they also serve cakes here but I wasn’t able to get a clearer photo of them since they were all stored in the fridge (and oh, the Buy1 Take1 Promo doesn’t apply to their cakes). But they all looked mouthwatering! I just hope they would include milk tea on their menu (who doesn’t love milk tea, right?) and add a little bit of soft music to compliment the cozy atmosphere.

Cake...

Cake...

...and more cakes!

Also, check out these cool, lip-smacking, artificial food decorations which according to the very beautiful Korean owner (who I was too shy to ask the name and take a photo with) will also be served on their menu soon. They just haven’t thought of the pricing yet.

They’re also planning to add Wifi soon and they have power outlets for those who’d like to charge their phones or laptops. Guess I found my new hang-out place.

So what are you waiting for? Check this place out and see for yourself! This is located just outside IT Park, across the Big Discounts store beside Tonyo’s. Hurry! Grab a friend and enjoy the Buy 1 Take 1 offer while it lasts!

Wish we could've stayed longer but got work :(

Address:                           Unit 103 K Bldg., 800A Salinas Dr, Lahug, Cebu City (across Big Discounts store)

Operating Hours:             8AM to 2AM

Contact:                           09974118964

Facebook Page:               CaféBerry Dessert Shop

Snowbowls: Premier Snow Creamery

My friends and I were looking for a good ice cream place to eat after a stressful day at work. They asked me if I could recommend a place and I automatically answered, "Snowbowls in Ramos!"

To be honest, I've only heard about this place through shared posts in Facebook. The photos of their ice cream -- oh sorry, I mean, snow cream -- is absolutely enticing. Then all of a sudden friends at work started posting their own pictures with their delicious bowl of snow cream. And I just had to try it for myself.

Photo not mine. Got it from Google.

How the exterior looks at night. Disclaimer: Googled photo.

Snowbowls is a small ice cream place located at G/F Raintree Mall, General Maxilom Avenue, Ramos, Cebu. If you’re not familiar with the address, the trademark to look for would be Jollibee right across Mango Square since this cute place is located just beside it.

It won’t be that hard to miss if you go there in the evening because you’d immediately notice the colorful neon lighting through the glass windows, and the sign itself. Oh, and they are open from 12NN until 11PM.

Their signature green throw pillows. Photo still googled.

Sorry bad angle. Lol.

After stepping foot in the store, we were surprised to see how small the place was – can probably accommodate up to 10 people only. In fact, when we got there, there was already a group of 7 enjoying their frozen delights. So my friends and I (a group of 4) decided to eat at Jollibee first while we wait for these people to leave. It was ok though since we haven’t eaten our lunch that day. But with that being said, you’d know that Snowbowls isn’t really a place for hanging out and doing your group study activities. And according to the lady at the counter, it was still their first branch so they may consider expanding soon.

How their counter looks like.

Their menu is very colorful too. And you have the option of ordering their ready-made combos namely Black & White Affair, Chocolate Madness, Modern Halo-Halo, Mangozilla, Ancestral Green Tea, Ruby Overload and Fruity Fiesta. They also offer limited editions. When we got there, it was Taro and Bursting Melon. Or you can also customize your own snowbowl by choosing the size, snow flavor, drizzle and a variety of toppings to choose from! Fun right?

You can check their menu here.

I'm not a big fan of strawberry ice cream but this here is an exception. Delish!

Chocolate madness. The chocolate chips make it even better.

My friends were too lazy to experiment so we ordered 2 of their double-sized combinations: Chocolate Madness and Ruby Overload. And not only did it look wonderful, it tasted great as well! The flavors we chose were rich in taste and quality. Definitely the prefect snow cream and Instagram-worthy too! Just make sure you have excellent timing skills because the color-changing lights would either give you a good photo or completely ruin it's natural vibrant color so you’d have to try several times to get it right – like we did. And yet our photos still suck!

Check out their color-changing lights.

But here are some more photos I grabbed from their Facebook page that looks absolutely stunning. I'm not exactly proud of the photos my friends and I took (no offense friends!) since we were just using our smartphones and timing was difficult since our snow cream was already melting. But here's some of the good ones that other people took.

Black & White Affair by @ti_maii

Chocolate Madness.

Ruby Overload by @chengnavs

Mangozilla by @khitsugaya

Ancestral Green Tea by @jelainesarmiento

This might be their Fruity Fiesta. Not sure.

Snow Waffle.

Overall, the experience was worth it and I just love what we ordered. The only complaint I have for this store is the space. But I will definitely come back to try out their other flavors and hopefully at a good time when it’s not jam-packed with customers. 

So what are you waiting for? Grab yours now! And don't forget to post it on Instagram with the following hashtags: #snowbowls and #lifeissnowilysweet

And remember, it's not just ice cream.. It's SNOW CREAM! That's ten times better than ice cream. :)

Sweet tooth satisfied. Happy customers gained.