Always Save Room for Dessert at Lasita

As our dinner entered its last act, we ordered the halo halo, layered with leche flan, coffee jelly, tapioca pearls, coffee milk, and pinipig granola. The pandan sago also caught our eye. Elegantly presented in a coupe glass like a trifle, the pudding-like dessert’s bottom layer is dyed a playful green from the pandan, and dotted with tapioca pearls. Above that was a rich layer of jammy cooked strawberries, and a luscious dollop of coconut whip topped with toasted coconut. 

Lucky for sweet-toothed fans like me, Lasita recently launched Kapé (pronounced kah-peh), meaning “cafe” or “coffee” in Tagalog, on weekend mornings.  Valencia was inspired by Filipino coffee culture and the tradition of merienda, which takes a moment of each day to relax and connect with friends over coffee. Lasita’s sunlit patio, combined with the vibrant weekend energy of the Far East Plaza, pairs perfectly with Kapé’s coffee stand, with its pastel pink umbrellas and green tables. Casual and imaginative, Kapé’s creative menu introduces diners to Filipino cafe culture from a one-of-a-kind, Lasita-coded point of view.

My first visit was for the calamansi espresso tonic, a refreshing and not-too-sweet thirst quencher. I soon returned, armed with a friend, and ordered the entire dessert menu, along with a breakfast sandwich and coffee drinks (for balance). As our platter of treasures approached us, our eyes widened — buko pandan loaf cake, a limited special ensaymada mamon (cheese sponge cake) ornately decorated with piped buttercream, calamansi crinkles and ‘Food for the Gods’ cookies, and a guava cream cheese jelly roll.

The buko pandan loaf cake had me at first sight.  Adorable in shape and playful in its signature pandan-green appearance, the cake takes its inspiration from buko pandan, a Filipino dessert salad with pandan jelly and milk. This perfectly balanced olive oil-based cake is thinly veiled in white icing and topped with speckles of toasted coconut.  

The sleeper hit is the Food for the Gods cookie, which Valencia explained is named for its use of ingredients like walnuts and dates, historically considered luxuries in the Philippines. Traditionally served in bar form, Lasita’s cookie rendition riffs on Valencia’s mother’s recipe, via her aunt. It boasts an impressive topography, with pooled browned edges making way for peaks and valleys in the center, and mountains of walnuts cresting its tops. Inside are gooey dates that would convince you that you were eating dulce de leche.  

As I reflected on these sweet expeditions, I was once again reminded of Lasita’s consistently imaginative yet comforting approach to Filipino-American cuisine in L.A. Its new daytime sibling, Kapé, is a nod to the restaurant’s everlasting creativity, offering Angelinos a must-visit weekend destination. The moral of the story is clear: Lasita is always the right choice, and when there, always save room for dessert.