Tokeru PH: Customize Your Own Lava Cakes!

Just when you thought the dessert industry couldn’t get more creative, Tokeru appears, your next favorite dessert stall in SM Megamall.

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I’m one of those people who has an insatiable sweet tooth. I know it’s bad, but I just can’t help it. Nothing makes life sweeter—literally—than good old-fashioned dessert. Just days after Tokeru opened on May 18 2018, my partner and I made our way through Megamall on a Monday to mix and match our very own lava cakes because yes, you can do that now.

Tokeru, a Japanese word meaning “to melt away”, is the latest gem in SM Megamall’s treasure trove of food finds. A business venture started by college friends after their OJT in Miami, Tokeru aims to #meltyouaway with sweetness. The entire concept of the kiosk is both fun and creative and because you are your own dessert maker, their desserts are no fail.

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Tokeru is owned by business partners and friends who have worked in both local and international restaurants.

You start by deciding what kind of lava cake base you want (prices range from Php130 to Php150), be it dark chocolate, matcha, peanut butter, coffee, or red velvet (with cream cheese filling). Their bestseller is dark chocolate, where the flavor is rich and indulgent, without being too nakakaumay. A great way to start the end of a meal.

After that, you choose your add-ons. You can choose between whipped cream (Php30) or three flavors of ice cream (Php35 to Php45) — chocolate, green tea, or vanilla. I have to say: Tokeru’s ice cream isn’t being given enough attention. I realize that the lava cakes are the star of the show here, but just a tip for future customers: the ice cream is a solid 10/10. It’s rich and creamy and I consider it to be more of a gelato than ice cream.

The third and final step would be adding on the add-ons. Choose between adding crunch (graham crumbs, peanut crumble, Oreos, butter cookies, birthday cookie crumbs, or sliced almonds; Php15 to Php25), fruits (mango compote, strawberry compote, red bean, blueberry compote, peaches; Php30), or fudge  (chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, and green tea syrup; Php20) and enjoy your very own sweet creation!

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Add to your dessert with these add-ons!

When my partner and I were there, we were fortunate enough to have the owners themselves whip us up some cake combos. Try them out yourself! These aren’t your typical combinations, but they sure are sweet.

The first was a dark chocolate lava cake with Oreo crumble, blueberry compote, vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup. It’s common knowledge that dark chocolate goes well with vanilla ice cream, but the blueberry compote and Oreos were a great way to add extra crunch and flavor!

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The second was a green tea lava cake with whipped cream, sliced almonds, strawberry compote, and graham crumbs, topped with green tea syrup. I love green tea, and I can usually tell whether the green tea being used is a cheap substitute or the real thing. Needless to say, this Japanese-inspired kiosk uses green tea that enhances their lava cakes with a deep, rich flavor.

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The star of my night.

For all you coffee lovers out there, consider trying Tokeru’s coffee lava cake. We had ours with vanilla crumble and chocolate ice cream topped with chocolate syrup. If the caffeine doesn’t keep you up, the sugar rush will!

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Caffeine and chocolate make the best combo!

The penultimate cake we had was one of my favorites: red velvet lava cake topped with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel syrup on a bed of butter cookies. The crunch of the vanilla and the cream cheese filling was sinful, yet I didn’t feel too guilty after eating it. I’d gladly do so again.

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Lastly, to cap off our night (a great way to end a Monday!), we had the peanut butter lava cake. Pro tip: order yours with peanut crumble, peaches, and chocolate ice cream. I never would have thought of putting peaches and peanut butter together, but they work so well together. Could Tokeru have possibly discovered the ultimate new pairing?

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Are peaches and peanut butter the trendy new food pairing?

Although Tokeru has only been open for less than a month, I can already see its potential. Filipino consumers are always on the lookout for the next food trend and I’m pretty sure this is it. Whether it be for an afternoon snack, a movie house treat (they’re right across the cinemas), or just a sweet something to share on a date; lava cakes are here and they are the future.

Wait a few months and you’ll see more of Tokeru, likely in other SM malls around Manila, hopefully with a bigger seating capacity and a brand new flavor! (Hint: Jollibee just released a new pie of the very same flavor.)

Tokeru

3rd floor, Building A Cinema, SM Megamall

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