You may have seen them around online – boxes of yellow, sugar-coated, fluffy donuts bearing the iconic Lola Nena’s red logo. Yes, it’s that Lola Nena, known for her homemade pichi-pichi with cheese. This time, though, Lola Nena has branched out to donuts.

Her signature Old-Fashioned Triple Cheese Donuts have been quite the social media sensation for some time now, so we had to try it ourselves – do they live up to the hype?

Say (triple) cheese

They may be “old-fashioned,” but they’re definitely in – these aren’t your ordinary, store-bought, commercial donuts. Lola Nena’s fluffy Filipino donuts are made the traditional way – with sugar and margarine – formed and filled by hand every day. Don’t be fooled – they may look light and airy, but these hand-sized guys are pretty dense and filling.

The pillowy, chewy donut dough greets you upon first bite, with a slight crunch because of the generous coating of white sugar. It’s definitely sweet at first, but once your teeth dig into the oozing, melted cheese filling inside, that’s when sweet and savory coincide – and mouth tingles, here we come!

It truly is what’s inside that counts, and inside Lola Nena’s Triple Cheese Donut is a cheesy explosion of 3 savory cheeses (somewhat like a cheddar) – nothing like I’ve ever tasted in a donut before. The creamy cheese blend gives off a balanced umami saltiness that cuts right through the sugar.

So if you like your sugar but loooove your cheese, then this is the donut for you.

Lola Nena’s Triple Cheese Donuts taste even better when reheated in the microwave for 15 seconds or so, and paired with a strong cup of coffee for breakfast or merienda. If you want it crispy on the outside, feel free to heat it in the toaster oven for 15 minutes.

A box of 8 Triple Cheese Donuts costs P200. You can also get Lola Nena’s Classic Donuts (P120), which have less cheese inside, but taste almost the same.

Lola Nena’s is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm. For orders, you can check out Lola Nena’s Facebook page. – Rappler.com