I’ve been a big fan of LAVA since it opened in SM Aura. Its delectable cheese tarts are amazing. And I feel great supporting a local brand using local products. I’ve heard news though that Lava launched a new line and I just have to try it myself!

Hello again, LAVA Cheese Tarts.

I’ve been busy with work lately that I hardly get to visit malls. But an opportunity to drop by Uptown Mall came one day and I decided to swing by LAVA before attending an event. Luckily, this LAVA branch offers its newest product, Lava Eruptions Premium Cheese Ice Cream (PHP85, cone | PHP135, cup with three toppings of your choice).

I decided to go with waffle cone as it makes me feel that I get my money’s worth. But I failed to consider that it was so hot lately that my ice cream began to melt in less than 30 seconds!

I hurriedly went up to the 4th floor open area to take nice photos but the ice cream was in terrible shape by then (hence not being in this blog).

Taste-wise, it was pretty good. It had that cheese taste that I like though not as pronounced as the one you’d get from the cheese tarts. I guess the milk somehow masked the sharp taste of cheese. I also recommend that you indulge in this treat in a cone as it could get really messy.

I’ll definitely go back and try it with toppings next time.

LAVA Cheese Tarts is located at Lower Ground, Uptown Bonifacio Mall, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

I love pretending to be a master chef like Gordon Ramsey. Though I may lack the skills to do all those French culinary terms, I appreciate that there are several restaurants now that let us experience cooking our own meals. We have grill your own Korean barbecue, create your own pancake, mix your own hotpot and make your own takoyaki. Yes, I’m talking about those famous Japanese street food treats. 

Hello, Kenshin Japanese Restaurant.

This Japanese restaurant along Yakal Street is a gem in the city.

We were greeted by very Japanese interiors and murals that would make you feel like you’re in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Kenshin offers a lot of dishes, from sushi and sashimi to tempura and katsudon. For this visit, we zeroed in on what Kenshin is known for–DIY Takoyaki (PHP299).

As total newbies to takoyaki making, one of the friendly servers patiently guided us on how we could make edible takoyaki balls.

I wasn’t able to take photos of the steps as we were being shot by the Unang Hirit team as part of their DIY restaurants segment. However, here are the steps: (1) Put oil on the takoyaki plate using the short brush provided. (2) Pour batter on the holes till overflowing (3) Put the other ingredients (e.g. octopus, red ginger, scallion, shrimp bits) on top of the overflowing batter.

(4) Roll or flip the mixture to give your masterpiece a round shape.

(5) Put Japanese mayo, takoyaki sauce, aonori and katsuobushis on top for garnish.

We did all correctly except for one thing, some of the takoyaki balls only had red ginger while others only had octopus and the like. I guess we should have mixed the ingredients more before dumping it on the batter.

Taste-wise, it was pretty good. Despite the lack of variety of taste per ball, I think we did a decent job in making it round and it having the right texture. And it was a fun experience too!

I’d definitely drop by again if I’m around the area.

Kenshin is located at Ground Floor, The Linear Makati, Yakal Street corner Mayapis Street, San Antonio, Makati City.