Halo Halo Cafe is a Filipino-Vietnamese fusion café which relocated from Willoughby to Parramatta in the first half of 2026. The menu centres on its signature halo-halo, alongside coffee, savoury café dishes and a selection of cheesecakes.
Pandan Basque Cheesecake ($10.00)
The cheesecake presented in a fluorescent green hue. While the intensity initially suggested colouring, the pandan flavour was strong enough to support the appearance naturally, overtaking the cream cheese as the dominant aromatic and flavour element.
The structure was rich, thick and dense, but still tender enough for a fork to pass through cleanly. The edges developed a darker, Maillard-driven crust typical of Basque cheesecake without becoming dry. Through the mid-palate, the interior softened and melted readily, spreading a fragrant pandan profile that remained persistent between bites without losing intensity. The cream cheese funk stayed restrained and well integrated.
Calamansi Basque Cheesecake ($8.00)
The cheesecake presented with a warm yellow interior beneath a deep brown crust, topped with candied calamansi.
Initial contact brought a dark, burnt character from the crust, providing a textural and flavour contrast against the softer, slightly eggy interior. The centre was less creamy and molten than a typical Basque cheesecake, instead recalling a dense egg cake in both structure and mouthfeel.
Through the mid-palate, the interior itself did not provide much calamansi character, with neither the zestiness nor tanginess becoming particularly prominent. The candied calamansi on top therefore carried much of the fruit flavour, adding a brighter citrus note and a sharper contrast to the dense interior.
Compared with the Basque cheesecake at 15cenchi in Haymarket, the centre was cooked slightly further through, resulting in less of the molten interior found there. The darker crust remained the more distinctive element, while the candied calamansi provided the brightness and citrus character that the cheesecake itself lacked.
Overall, the Pandan Basque Cheesecake was the stronger of the two, with sustained pandan intensity working cohesively with its dense yet melting structure. The Calamansi Basque Cheesecake was enjoyable, but less distinctive, relying more on the candied calamansi topping to provide flavour and contrast.
Halo Halo Cafe is located at 1/20-22 Wentworth St, Parramatta NSW 2150.