Dear my Sweet-Toothed friends,

Japan has been ruling the culinary world for the longest time. People loveee Japanese food such as Sushi and Ramen, but their desserts have really been shining for the past couple of years. The most recent craze was all about Baked Cheese Tarts! If you haven’t tried it, imagine an egg tart and cheesecake have a baby. Flaky crusts, warm and decadent filling with different textures and perfect balance of sweet and tangy.  Total MOUTHGASM!

Currently there are three main shops which specialize in selling Baked Cheese Tarts in Indonesia: Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, Hokkaido Baby, and Pablo.

I’m going to compare the price, presentation, crusts, filling, the overall experience while purchasing, and each store's specialty to see which one is the most worth it.

Cheese Tarts from Pablo is rather flat and looks drier however the ‘Pablo’ logo on top of each tarts makes it look more prestige. Moreover, the crusts has a detailed decoration which I appreciate.

Hokkaido Baby

Tarts from Hokkaido Baby looks very cute with a piece of shaved almond on top.

Hokkaido Baby

Hokkaido         : very flaky and buttery, almost feels like a puff pastry. My personal fav! (It was           literally chaotic when I ate this on the car since I just took a light bite and the          crumbs were falling off everywhere)

Hokkaido Baby: tastes like short bread cookie and it doesn’t taste too sweet which balances out the        flavor from the filling

Pablo                : Very similar to Hokkaido Baby’s crusts. Flaky and perfectly sweet.

Green Tea Tarts // Hokkaido Baby

Fluffy filling // Hokkaido Baby

Hokkaido        : perfect balance between sweet and tangy. The filling oozes out on the first bite.

Hokkaido Baby: all flavors have perfect consistency and creaminess however for the original   cheese tarts, the filling does go on the more tangy side. The Green Tea and Salted Egg Tarts have a sweet surprise filling on the inside which adds depth and dimension to the whole experience. The Green Tea filling has a rich matcha flavor which counteracts the sweetness from the crusts and creamy filling. The salted egg filling on the salted egg tart also gives off a nice balance of flavor since it is perfectly sweet and salty at the same time.

Pablo               : I’ve only tried the Chocolate and Green Tea flavor from Pablo and to be honest, they were not my fav. In comparison to Hokkaido Baby’s Green Tea tarts, the Pablo ones tasted too sweet. The chocolate tart also lacks in that deep chocolate flavor that you would expect from a 45k mini tart.

Hokkaido         : if your order is not ready, they will give you your order number and you are free to roam around somewhere else and come back when your order is ready. When I went there, there was a huge line and I was told to come back in 30 minutes to pick up my order. You don’t have to worry, your order will be set aside until you pick them up J

Hokkaido Baby: I got my order immediately after paying for it so it’s a fuss free process. I realized that they constantly bake new batches which is why they can keep up with orders.

Pablo                : since Pablo is much raved in Indonesia, there is almost always a line queueing to buy these cheese tarts. Unlike Hokkaido, I have to wait at the spot to pick up my order.

Hokkaido         : they only provide one flavor and one flavor only which shows that they focus on perfecting the original baked cheese tart flavor. I see nothing wrong with that and I think they’re doing a good job!

Hokkaido Baby: their specialty is the Salted Egg Tart which doesn’t disappoint your taste bud! They also have just recently put soft-serve ice creams in the menu. They also provide online orders through Whatsapp or Line.

Pablo                : one of the perks of ordering from Pablo is that you are welcomed through an array of desserts. Not only that they provide baked cheese tarts with various flavors, they also come in a bigger size tarts! Moreover they also serve soft-serve ice creams and Frute Smoothies in cheese and matcha flavor (they come up with strawberry flavor just recently).

Overall, I personally think that Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart is perfect for those of you who want to taste a really good, original cheese tart flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous then I would recommend trying the Matcha and Salted Egg Tarts from Hokkaido Baby since the surprise filling truly is an amazing experience. And you should visit Pablo if you’re planning to share one big tart with your friends or families (for economic reasons, it is better to purchase the big tart for Rp169k and share it with 5-6 person rather than buying the mini tarts) or if you want other options available other than these tarts.

Whew, I’m finally done reviewing so it’s time for you to try these tarts on your own! Comment down below what you think of these cheese tarts, are they worth the hype?

Until next time, 

From Yours Truly,

Below are the list of locations and links to Zomato reviews for these stores:

HOKKAIDO

Kota Kasablanka (LG)

Senayan City (LG)

Mal Kelapa Gading (3^rd floor)

HOKKAIDO BABY

PIM 1
Shirayuki PIK

Galaxy Mall 1 (Surabaya)

Tanjungan Plaza 3 (Surabaya)

PABLO

Gandaria City

Neo Soho Mall