MagiCream

Magi-what?  Yep, that was the confounded response to Areta's invite for a tasting at MagiCream.  Upon further investigation, it turns out that MagiCream is yet another entry into the liquid-nitrogen crafted ice cream in Vancity.  However, unlike Lik and Mister, the prices are lower and the portions are bigger for the money.  Furthermore, parking is ample and their equipment is more heavy-duty and safer as the liquid nitrogen is piped into the mixers directly instead of being poured in.

Since there were 9 of us present, we went for 9 different creations including my personal favourite, Strawberry Ice Cream with cheesecake bites.  Normally, strawberry ice cream can range from bland to overly sweet.  However, this one was full-flavoured and did not exhibit that "candy-like" strawberry taste.  Instead, it tasted like the fruit with a balanced amount of sweetness.  The cheesecake bites were pretty standard, but worked well with the ice cream.  The most visually attractive creation was the Coffee with cookie dough and multi-coloured mochi.  Despite being on top of really cold ice cream, the mochi didn't harden up too much.  Underneath, the coffee flavour was also very impactful while not being bitter nor too strong.  The creaminess of the ice cream resulted in a somewhat HK-Style taste being sweet and thick.  I thought this one could've used a bit less sugar.

The Chocolate Ice Cream with brownie bites and chocolate sauce ate even richer than the others.  Thick and marginally sweet with the bitterness of dark chocolate, this was luxurious and surprisingly on point.  The addition of the brownie bites and sauce did make for some sweeter spoonfuls though. The palate-cleanser of the bunch was the Mango Sorbet with mango and lychee jelly.  At first, the little crumbles of sorbet seemed a bit dry and lifeless.  But one large scoop from the bottom revealed a thick and rich natural-tasting creamy sorbet.  The jelly on top added some more sweetness that probably wasn't necessary, but the textures were nice though. 

Along the same lines as the coffee, the Milk Tea with pearls and mango jelly was pretty flavourful.  I could definitely make out the tea where the finish was slightly aromatic and appealingly bitter.  It really did taste like milk tea with all the fixin's. One of the most impactful flavours was Ovaltine with crushed walnuts.  For me, it was like eating a frozen Ovaltine beverage.  I really liked how the flavours so far tasted exactly what it should be.  The ice cream was hard and creamy where it took awhile to actually start melting.  The richness of the ice cream was evident as it dissolved slowly in my mouth.  For this one, I found it to be quite a bit sweeter, but it worked.

Another winner for me was the Root Beer Ice Cream with gummy bears.  Sure, it wasn't a hit with everyone, but for me it embodied what root beer is about.  There was a light carbonation to go with the classic root beer taste while being mildly sweet.  As expected, the gummy bears became pretty hard due to the cold ice cream. Another pretty creation to look at, but not particularly easy to eat was the Caramel Popcorn.  Underneath the popcorn was a super sweet salted caramel that tasted like it had butterscotch mixed into it.  I liked the texture, much like the others, but it was too sweet for me personally.

Lastly, the most surprising ice cream was the Black Sesame with coconut and Reese's peanut butter cup.  The ice cream itself reminded me of the filling found in the Chinese mochi balls.  It was nutty and sweet while being creamy like the others.  Adding another layer of sweet nuttiness was the peanut butter cup.  Personally, I would've added plain mochi as the only topping to emulate those aforementioned mochi balls. Overall, I truly enjoyed the liquid nitrogen ice cream here.  The price was palatable for me personally and the flavours were impactful.

*All ice cream was complimentary*

The Good:
- Not cheap, but less expensive than the others
- Creamy and rich
- Lots of options for toppings

The Bad:
- As mentioned, it is cheaper, but it isn't an inexpensive treat either
- Keep the toppings to a minimum as some counteract the ice cream