Chill out in one of the most beloved Filipino branded ice cream houses on top of one of the biggest malls in Quezon City… the Magnolia Flavor House – SM North EDSA.
The menu is varied with salads, pasta and sandwiches apart from the famous Magnolia ice cream desserts. Price range for the entrees would range from P 200.00 to P 300.00. Drinks like cold coffee shakes range from P 135.00 to P 150.00 but do not expect hot beverages even if they have it on the menu since we ordered coffee and they said it was not available even if it was just early afternoon. The one-scoop sundaes cost P75.00 but the special combos can range from P 175.00 to P 240.00 .
We ordered the Red Velvet (priced P240.00) expecting it to be the ice cream version of the popular cake flavor. We were surprised to see that it was a simple combination of two strawberry ice cream scoops with vanilla topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips, rolled wafers, strawberry syrup and three cherries.
Another order we tried was a cold marble (P 175.00). The cold marble entrees are actually ice cream hand-blended with various ingredients on a preparation table.  The Butternut is chocolate ice cream mixed with butter crunch, peanuts and peanut butter topped with the usual cream, chocolate pretzel and cherry but presented tall on a wafer bowl. This one was good! The peanut butter creates a different texture on the palette. The nuts and butter crunch distinctly add excitement to the already delicious sweet ice cream mix.
The restaurant, apart from its menu, had its good and bad points. Their menu cards, for example, did not display enough descriptions nor pictures of the ice cream entrees which should have been able to help customers decide on what flavors or combinations they really want. The waiters, however, made up for it by verbally explaining when needed. They were not, however, as fast or efficient as other restaurant crew considering there were only a few people to serve with easy to prepare ice cream concoctions. The seating was a bit cramped but the view of the surroundings through the glass windows was relaxing.
Magnolia Flavor House is at the Sky Garden of SM North EDSA with a pleasant ambiance surrounded by a serene shallow mini-pebble pond. The mini-pond doubles as a sort of wishing well where passers by may drop coins as donations to the severely damaged communities hit by Typhoon Yolanda. (Yes, these communities are still struggling to rebuild after two years and SM is doing its best to help).
Overall, the experience was just okay if you wanted to relax and waste an afternoon away.