I don't like cheesy love, but I love cheese! As a cheese lover I was sooo excited when cheese started to build its hype in the recent years. Many restaurants and stores level up their food by using cheese as the main focus of the dishes or just to complete the food as nothing can go wrong with cheese🧀 I love cheese on main dish (hamburger, steak, chilli fries), but I love it more when cheese goes to DESSERT!
If you notice, the world is conquered by various cheesy dessert creations from one country: the Land of the Rising Sun a.k.a Japan. Coming in different forms, different textures and of course, different price range, the Japanese-cheese wave (like Korean-Pop wave lol) arrived in many countries and being craved by many people, including me! I've tried some and let me share with you the three top Japanese cheese dessert that I ever tried and share my most favorite!
B A K E C H E E S E T A R T
In a glance, people may overlook it as Portuguese's Egg Tart with the small-rounded size and yellow-brownish center. However, BAKE cheese tart is from Hokkaido and comes with cookie crust rather than pastry crust. The dome-shaped fillings consists of the melting cream cheese in mousse texture.
We could buy it per piece (serve on a tissue paper for direct consumption or put it in paper bag) or in a box of 6. The design of the box is simple yet functional. The lower level of the box can be pulled to take the cheese tart and pushed to store it back. The box is then sealed with rectangular sticker. The packaging really gives 'Japanese vibes' which promote simplicity and functionality. I love it!
I tasted my first BAKE in Hong Kong during my exchange program, and I INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE. The crust is crispy, the texture is fluffy, and the filling is smooth and cheesy. It's major love! The cheese tart can be enjoyed warm, chilled or frozen, but for me, it is best to enjoy it fresh from the shopkeeper ;)
It costs HK$ 20 per piece and HK$ 110 per box of six. Unfortunately, on my last visit to HK, the stall in Sogo Causeway Bay was no longer there due to renovation. Luckily, I bump into their store in ION Orchard Singapore in my last short holiday to SG. The price is about the same, for S$ 3.5 per piece and S$ 19.9 per box of six.
It costs HK$ 20 per piece and HK$ 110 per box of six. Unfortunately, on my last visit to HK, the stall in Sogo Causeway Bay was no longer there due to renovation. Luckily, I bump into their store in ION Orchard Singapore in my last short holiday to SG. The price is about the same, for S$ 3.5 per piece and S$ 19.9 per box of six.
P A B L O C H E E S E T A R T
PABLO Cheesetart is originally coming from Osaka, Japan. The name is derived from artist Pablo Picasso; perhaps because they think their cheese tart is a piece of art. It comes with flaky crust on the outside, accompanied with gooey cheese custard inside and finished with apricot jam glazed on the surface. The bright yellow color and citrusy-smell of the apricot really wake up our appetite.
If you notice the website writings on the box, you might realize that I had this Pablo cheese tart in Korea. I reached their store in Lotte Myeongdong around 9PM and found out that the price for a 15 cm whole cake is ₩11,000 (~HK$ 80). The shopkeeper asked whether I want the medium-baked or rare-baked version. Because I heard most of Pablo's overseas stores only serve the medium type, I opt the rare-baked one. Went straight to the cashier, I was told that the price was ₩9,000 instead of the ₩11,000! Yay! I think they give discounted price for cakes sold in the night (to prevent unsold cakes).
Aaaand that's how rare-baked Pablo cheese tart looks like. The cheese custard was so moist, but I don't think it had the flowy molten texture like what rare-baked Pablo cheese tart supposed to be (from my online observation). I hope the shopkeeper really gave me the rare-baked😅 The apricot glaze was fresh and sweet, it perfectly matched the cheese custard fillings. However, the flaky crust was not my cup of tea. It was not crunchy (perhaps because I ate it the day after), so it was quite hard to eat.
D O R É b y L e T A O
Also originally crafted in Hokkaido, DORÉ by LeTAO offers us double fromage cheesecake; with cake on the base, cream cheese layer on the top and covered with mascarpone cheese mouse. The Indonesia's branch is in Jakarta, but they had temporary store in Surabaya last two months, so I went there and got myself their original cake.
They only sell the wholecake size which was actually small, nearly 12-13 cm; but the price is not a small money! It costs IDR 250k (~HK$ 145) which in any other bakery could get you a 20 cm x 20 cm chocolate cake for your friend's birthday. However, I still bought it anyway....😌 The cake has such an exclusive packaging. It is wrapped with thin paper, placed in the small rounded box and sealed with sticker. The shopkeeper handed it with a re-usable bag along with a serving instruction and contact information card.
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I found it really funny to find my self taste Japanese'e cheese creation outside Japan. BAKE in Hong Kong, Pablo in Korea, and LeTAO in Indonesia. Thanks to the amazing globalization, it gives the chances for cultures, businesses, people, and many more, to go beyond boundaries~😆
So, which one of those cake that able to win my 'most favorite cheesetart/cheesecake' title?
The title goes to.....
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This little fella!
I think BAKE cheesetart is the best cheesetart that I have so far. The size is just enough for single serving (allow me to control my calorie intake lol), with the perfect quality of gooey cheese fillings, crunchy crust, and of course, the value for money.
I wish I could pick LeTAO, but I found my self counting the amount of money I paid for every spoon I take😂 Pablo was also very refreshing, but I dislike the hard flaky crust. Perhaps I will give them another try next time, hope I will get the crunchy flaky crust😊
What about you? Have you tried any of Japanese cheesy products? Give me some recommendations by leaving comments!❣️See you on my next post!
