Toyo Just Took Halo-Halo to a Whole New Delightful Direction Through Its Little Kakigori Shop

The Alley at Karrivin, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

Contact: 0995-217-3821 (through text only)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/azuki.toyo

(SPOT.ph) There is a block of ice in front of us, but it might as well be made of glass. There are no tiny bubbles, no jagged shards, no cloudiness on the surface. It glistens as the light hits, the ice's pristine, crystal-like body giving the viewer a glimpse of the background behind it. Called clear ice, this is the starting point of every bowl of kakigori at AzukiToyo, which opened its doors just a couple of days back and, as of writing, is already fully booked for the whole of July.

A collaboration between the Toyo Eatery and Tokyo’s celebrated restaurant Florilège, the dessert nook then churns out colorful, towering bowls of shaved ice taken to sublime heights with their assortment of syrups and toppings. A spectacle they are, no doubt, but the real reward is digging your spoon into the mix, and getting acquainted firsthand with the layers of ice, fruits, beans, mochi, and other toppings mingling in the bowl.

Also read: Opening Soon: A Kakigori Spot by Toyo Eatery and Tokyo's Florilège

The concept was birthed in light of a conversation between Toyo’s Chef Jordy Navarra and Florilège’s Chef Hiroyasu Kawate in 2019, on the traditional method of making halo-halo by hand where ice is scraped manually using an ice shaver. Kawate gifted Jordy a professional kakigori machine, and soon the idea for a new collaboration came to light. Bringing that idea to the real world involved diving deep into—and perfecting—the art of kakigori, a challenge undertaken by AzukiToyo’s chefs Sam Constantino and Chaela Dee. The two got the opportunity to fly to Japan, where they trained directly under Miho Horio—former pastry chef of Florilège who now heads their kakigori leg in Japan, Azuki to Kouri.

And it all starts with the ice—which AzukiToyo treats not as a mere base but as an ingredient worth perfecting in its own right. Achieving the level of clarity we saw involves more intricate steps than just freezing straight-up water. Behind it is a slow-freezing process takes place over the course of 48 hours, allowing impurities and air bubbles to separate and settle, AzukiToyo explains. Before being used in kakigori, the ice brought out to thaw for a couple of minutes—just enough time to slightly soften the ice such that there's no frost, and it shaves easily into light, wispy feathers when put through the kakigori machine.

Every step of the process has a purpose, and the proof is in the pudding—the kakigori ice in this case, whose ethereal, fluffy makeup allows it to dissolve like air on the tongue. This lightness also allows the ice to better take in the flavors of the syrups that are poured over, without turning into a soggy mess.

Picturesque as their shaved-ice desserts might be, try not to take too long with the photos—you’ll want to partake of your kakigori as intended, i.e. as close as you can to the time it’s served. (That said, the shop’s chilly temperature helps keep their desserts from melting down too fast; AzukiToyo conveniently provides scarves upon request as well, to help keep you warm while in their premises.)

Coming up with the flavors was a collaborative effort between Toyo Eatery, Azuki to Kouri, and AzukiToyo, Dee tells us. “We built the different components together until we found the perfect progression for the [kakigori].”

The lineup at AzukiToyo is compact, with just five variations (ranging from P600 to P900; note that prices may vary per that of the ingredients and produce available in the season)—yet they’re each well designed, not just in the flavor combos but in construction. Each tower is engineered so as to reveal new layers of taste and texture as you dig through the ice, so the experience of downing a bowl is a dynamic one from top to bottom.

Some are mainstays: there’s Azuki at Merengue—a simple yet sublime number that's delicate in taste but huge in impact. Here, the ice is drizzled with milk sauce, studded with azuki beans (cooked with sugar low and slow for the perfect tender-but-not-mushy consistency), and crowned with crisp, airy, lightly sweet nuggets of meringue. Then there's the kicker: a soft and sticky layer of shiratama—essentially freeform mochi—in the middle, which amazingly does not harden, and could just about melt in the mouth.

Distinctly Filipino—the most festive of the lot, too—is the Halo-Halo, with its namesake samalamig interpreted as kakigori. Unlike its traditional iteration, this halo-halo is designed not be, well, halo’d—instead it should be consumed from top to bottom—but it is a whimsical ride in its own right. Every spoonful is a surprise, thanks to its elements of leche flan (some of the silkiest we’ve had); ube (four kinds, no less—as chip, foam, milk drizzle, and as a paste that goes in the middle); langka sauce; saba bananas; jelly cubes (in pandan, roselle, and melon flavors); coconut milk; leche flan milk (!); and candied pinipig that adds buttery, toasty depth to the mix.

Then you’ve got the seasonal darlings. There’s Azuki at Matcha, a sibling to Azuki at Meringue, similarly combining azuki beans, meringue, and a soft, gooey core of shiratama. But as the name would suggest, it gets its vibrant green color from the nutty, naturally umami Inokura matcha syrup drizzled over the fluffy ice. If you're lucky, you might just catch a version of this with smoked macapuno—the beauty of seasonal specials is in its adaptability after all.

More vibrant and refreshing is Lychee at Pomelo, originally created as an exclusive treat for Toyo Eatery’s ninth birthday celebration just last March, updated a tad in this AzukiToyo rendition. Flaunting an ombre look that evokes the sunset, this kakigori is drizzled with a tangy rosella syrup at the base and tropical-tasting lychee syrup on top, then topped with juicy pieces of fresh lychee and pomelo. As you dig through, you’ll find coconut meringue cream for just a touch of richness to go with the fruit.

And then you’ve got the wild card: Mais at Keso. If you guessed that this takes a page from mais con hielo, well, you’re not wrong—but it also goes the surprising, savory-sweet direction with Quezon corn, shaved keso de bola, candied pinipig, and red Kampot pepper (!!!) ground on top as it’s served, for a tinge of floral-fruity heat. 

You can also opt to order from their tea selection, as a bit of a palate cleanser in between helpings of the shaved ice. There are hot and cold options of teas from Japan, of which we try Yamawarau—a cold tea of kabusecha, a variety of green tea that’s partially shaded from the sun for some time prior to harvest. Thanks perhaps to cold-brew steeping process, this goes down smooth with ample body and zero tannin—and delivers silky, buttery, umami sips that rounds out the experience of downing any of their desserts.

What we see at AzukiToyo is the seamless union of two worlds: the Japanese ethos of perfecting the fundamentals and of mastering one’s craft, and a creativity and spontaneity that’s delightfully Filipino. The two make for a beautiful marriage, at least if their iced desserts are anything to go by—intricate yet nostalgic creations they are, astonishing from the first spoonful to the last.