Magnum Pleasure Store Toronto Launch (With Joe Manganiello)
Last night, I attended an amazing launch party for the Magnum Pleasure Store Pop Up in Yorkville (11 Bloor St. W) – it’s right beside H&M. They are only here for the month of July, so I suggest going for a visit sooner rather than later.
Edit (July 27, 2013): The Magnum Pleasure Store has been extended until August 30th! AMAZING NEWS!
The international ice cream brand, which currently sells over one billion Magnum® ice cream bars every year worldwide, is now introducing The Magnum® Pleasure Store in Yorkville – the first one in North America! How did we get so lucky?
How it looks like inside. There’s a sitting area and some fancy photos of Magnum bars. Love that Toronto/Magnum piece!
I’ve been a big fan of Magnum since I first tasted a bar years ago when they came to Canada. Since starting a healthier lifestyle, I make sure that my “cheats” are always worth it (to me, that means over-the-top decadence) and Magnum definitely fits the bill.
The Launch
The event was very well organized. I walked in just a little past 7 pm into a well-dressed crowd with laughter and smiles. And why wouldn’t they all be so cheerful? It was an ice cream party! (Oh and Joe Manganiello was hanging out near the bar. More on that later.)
They had Cirque du Soleil performers do a unique number custom-made for the store, which was breathtaking. I’ve been so several Cirque du Soleil shows, but I’ve never been that close to them. They were only a few feet away from us.
The main bulk of the performance was around this very talented lady. Amazing control of her whole body. The singer was also incredible (not pictured, but you can see her in the Instagram Video above.) Wow!
Meeting Joe Manganiello
Joe is the spokesperson for Magnum, but you probably know him as the werewolf on True Blood, Alcide Herveux. I’m a big fan of True Blood and he is one of my all-time celebrity crushes so obviously, I was ecstatic to meet him!
Unffff! Yeah, I got that close. Rubbed my face on his chest, I probably left a stain.
More photos of him because I’m a creep:
He was talking about his first bar that day (bacon/maple fudge/chili flakes). He was constantly eating them all night!
My favourite photo of him I took. Hiiiiiiiiii!!!!! I seriously felt like he was talking to me the whole time.
Oh and because I have no shame, I asked him if I could pretend grab his bum for a photo (LOL) and he jokingly said no in a form of a werewolf joke (seriously, he did). I’m pretty sure I creeped him out, but hey… I had to do it just in case he would be down for that. [I told Kris this story when I got home and he couldn’t stop laughing. YOU WOULD, he said. Uhh… yeah I would!]
The Ice Cream
21 toppings – a good mix of whacky (Nerds, pop rocks, chili flakes) and classy (rose petals, honeycomb, macarons)
So here’s how the process works:
- You choose an ice cream bar – vanilla bean or chocolate
- Choose from the 21 toppings (ranging from bacon, chili flakes, rose petals, goji berries, Nerds… honestly they had everything!)
- Choose your chocolate coating – white, milk or dark.
- And finally, choose your drizzle.
- They do everything right in front of your eyes, so the anticipation is crazy. (Is this how being in a strip club feels like?)
The lovely ladies who helped me pick my toppings + made my Magnum for me
Putting on the finishing touches
My final product:
Nom nom nom…
Vanilla bean ice cream bar / bacon, macadamia nuts, pistachio macaron / milk chocolate drizzle
This was more than I ever imagined. Honestly, it was a magical experience!
Oh and although we could have eaten 10 of these for free that night, the bars range from $6-$8 dollars regularly. I think it’s very much worth the money. I’m already planning a trip to come back with some friends because they need to try this!
The Magnum® Pleasure Store
The Magnum® Pleasure store will be open 7 days a week, from June 27 – August 30 (new date)
Monday-Saturday: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am – 6:00pm
Follow them on Twitter – @Magnum_Canada and tweet #MyMagnum when you visit!
Disclosure: I was invited to this media event for editorial consideration. As always, that doesn’t change how I feel about any of it. I am just feeling really blessed to have been invited to such an awesome event!
Next time I want to try the rose petals and chili flakes with… bacon. What would you put on your Magnum? Or if you’re gone already, tell me which toppings are your fave. Or maybe you came into this post for Joe? 🙂 Either way, leave me a comment and let me know!
