The opening of Magnum Manila at SM Aura Premier SkyPark tomorrow is all-abuzz around the metro and in the social media-sphere where those who got first dibs, including NomNom Club, have been sharing their photos online, much to the jaundiced eyes of those who haven’t.

But the day has come, tomorrow, Magnum Manila opens it’s first pop-up ‘pleasure store‘ in the Philippines, following other branches around the world including Paris, Jakarta, Shanghai, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

So before you hit the store in it’s grand opening tomorrow, here are 10 Things You Need to Know About Magnum Manila:

1. Magnum Manila is not a Café

No, it’s not  a cafe, as Magnum Manila brand manager Bryan Chanyungco has confirmed in an interview with NomNom Club.

Strictly, it’s a “Pleasure Pop-Up Store“. It means that their main purpose is to support the brand – Magnum.

It would be open for only a little more than a year and the objective of success is then attained!

2. Dessert Dishes were Crafted by Chef Miko Aspiras

The Magnum concoctions forming all the dessert dishes were crafted by Chef Miko Aspiras, a globally award-winning pastry chef and is currently one of the pastry chefs in a well-known Philippine premier hotel.

3. Food is by Chef Him Uy de Baron

You may consider Magnum Manila a restaurant since aside from the Magnum Ice Cream creations, there are other sumptuous dishes you could order from appetizers to soup and salad to mains.

Some names from the menu include Asian Steak Salad, Pumpkin Soup, Magnum Braised Beef Cheek, and Carbonara.

The entrees are the creations of Chef Him Uy de Baron, the executive chef of Chef Cuisine Catering and owner of Nomama.

4. The “Make-Your-Own-Magnum” only costs Php 100

Since Magnum Ice Cream‘s launch about two years ago, the brand has already made it’s mark in the Philippine ice cream industry. And with Magnum Manila, the customer’s experience will be elevated by offering them the chance to create their very own Magnum bar for only Php 100!

Most of your favorite desserts from other restaurants costs more!

5. Step 1 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Coat It”

The DIY process starts from the choice of ice cream. Choose between vanilla or chocolate truffle.

After selecting your Magnum ice cream base, you get to “Coat It” by choosing a chocolate coating from white, infinity dark, and classic.

6. Step 2 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Top It”

To ‘Top It’ is to make you Magnum Bar more exciting by experimenting on 18 different toppings to choose from. You could create more than a hundred thousand combination with all 18 of them!

The default is to add 3 toppings from the varied choices. The toppings include pistachios, almond, chocolate chip cookies, dried raspberries, gold nuggets, and even sea salt or chili flakes for that surprise kick!

7. Step 3 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Drizzle It”

Finally, you get to drizzle your Magnum Creation with the same chocolate choices from the coating section. Select either white, infinity dark, or classic Belgian chocolate.

8. Magnum Manila contemporary architecture and sleek interiors is designed by Ed Calma.

9.  NomNom Club’s Top Dessert Choice is the Cookie Dough Skillet

The Magnum Manila menu is quite handy but there are a lot of options to order. So to help you make the right choices, allow us to give you NomNom Club’s top choice which we believe you’ll never regret – the Cookie Dough Skillet.

The Cookie Dough Skillet is a warm chocolate chip cookie dough topped with two vanilla Magnum bars, dark chocolate and chopped pecans.

At P250, it has earned to be one of my favorite desserts of all time. It’s also good for sharing!

Other Magnum Manila creations include the Rainbow Dream & Pink Friday.

10.  NomNom Club’s Main Dish Recommendations are the Seared Salmon and Mushroom Burger.

For the ‘mains‘, please do try the Seared Salmon with Basil Creme and Chorizo Confit and the Mushroom Burger.

While the Seared Salmon is good for a meal, the Mushroom Burger has that unique meaty texture perfect just before a Magnum Manila dessert creation for snacks.

Free Magnum

But wait, there’s more!

Free 500 Make Your Own Magnum

Magnum Manila in SM Aura opens its first day with a big crunch! A free crunch for the first 500 customers, so to speak.

They will get their own Make Your Own Magnum dessert creation for FREE!

Be one of the First 500 guests to get a taste of the Make Your Own Magnum experience. Doors officially open at 12NN on Tuesday, April 8 2014. Patrons may physically line up ahead of time (no phone reservations).

1-patron-1-MYO-Magnum-Bar Rule

Being a pop-up store which will only be open until sometime in 2015, you should then grab the earliest chance to taste the cold and luxurious Belgian chocolate bar of Magnum made the way you want in thousands of possible combinations.

Know more about Manila’s Magnum at Magnum.com.ph, @Magnum_PH on Instagram, and MakeMyMagnum.com.

And considering that the newest Magnum Gold retails for Php60 each in convenience stores, the Magnum Manila P100 DIY Magnum plus 3 toppings in a full dine-in premium store is actually pocket-friendly.