TL;DR: It is pretty simple here, some cheese tarts presented as how they are, and it is good enough for quite a number of people. Something of an experiment for now, at the time to writing success seems to so far be within their grasp, and it only a matter of sustaining it over time.
Something definitely has to be up around here, with plenty of these sorts of places. Specifically specialising in a particular sort of item, it is about the crux of what they serve and throughout the world they prove to be immensely popular that they expand further afield. Coming up from various countries along the Eastern seaboard of Asia, it is inevitable that a splash will be made in the Middle East, certainly heaps in Singapore, and they will more or less find their way down here in Australia - it is all about finding the right pocket in an opportune manner.
As far as Australia has been concerned, these have been making a splash within the southern areas - namely Sydney and Melbourne - so it was with a lot of speculation that this would eventually come up to Brisbane, and here it is right now smack bang in the middle of the bottom level of the Myer Center. This particular area of town does have its advantage, namely because it can be the first or last stop off for clients when getting to that station here. Like with many of the competitors in stone's throw, it is walk in-walk out and what they offer can basically be summed up in a tweet. That is a blessing in disguise, as it let's them to a couple of things really well, and get it to be really popular. It is more relaxed hereafter in this sleepy hollow, but when it opened for the first time there was a line out the door. Best bet from my vantage point is to get there when the hype dies down.
Without getting into too much detail about it, and making it sound like a Wikipedia entry, to describe what a hakkaido cheese tart is: three different kinds of cream cheese made into a mousse-like texture, which is cooked separately to the pastry for the first instance, before being filled in. They have a pretty simple gastronomy, even if it takes quite a bit of effort to make one individually. Like with any sweet that gets big, more flavours are bound to follow with heaps of experimentation. While some get giddy over whatever comes to town finally, I just see a new sort of food to try.
Well, what I can say is that these are pretty well-done, personally I haven't gotten into the hype so there was not a precedent for me with how they were going to be. Simply put, I just like to try new things and here we are. What is apparent is that the cheese tarts are good, and definitely make for something a bit less usual than the sweet shops that litter the blocks around town.
There was two contributing reasons to go here on such a whim, the first one being obviously something of an impulse but also more importantly it was one more review in before another landmark one on the weekend. What better way to get some of that filler reviewing in than with coffee and sweets? - to an extent, this was how it went. timing it just right, after a couple of errands around town post-work getting some other items, one last stop was made before getting on the bus to head home.
When it comes to the decor, it would probably be under the term "hole in the wall", but I reckon a better way to put it is that it is like going right into the factory/kitchen outlet. The tarts glisten right in the window, arranged into sections, and that is just on the sidewalk side; they have another big lot adjacent to make up for the mass demand, and plenty are being cooked all the time right behind the checkout chick. You get the food and walk out just as quickly as walking in, but there is still a friendly edge to it.
As it was already said, the major item that they have is the signature cheese tart. I cannot vouch for it entirely, but speculation will be made that other items are possibly available at different locations. Some places do coffee - no such luck here - and other items which may or may not be on the menu include teas, iced teas, different sorts of sodas - they have ramune for quite cheap here, which is worth a try sometime - among some others. With this location, the extra is a couple of flavours of soft serve ice cream. But the real reason for coming here is within the name - it is about the cheese tart. There are three different flavours to try - chocolate, blueberry, and the original flavour. Ergo, I went to get one of each to split it at home with my house mate.
Well, finally have to hop to it and say the consensus - these are pretty darn good. The pastry is pretty light, lighter than usual to the point that it crumbled check getting out of the packet. Within the pastry, the flavour had a buttery textural note, and that was before the filling of each one. I could not detect too much difference between the original and blueberry flavours - except for a single blueberry - however that is not a knock against them. It has a smooth and creamy texture, which oozes out like treacle, and the top it a bit like an egg finish. The best one without any shadow of a doubt will definitely be the chocolate one - this had a slighty different texture that was akin to a chocolate mousse, and the chocolate they used was a bit on the dark side - personally a preference. To finish it all off, a whole lot of chopped nuts is on top of it.
It is something that can be righted just going to the right place nearby, or making it right at the office or home base, however having coffee or a similar beverage here to buy as a pack would definitely make the sales increase quite a bit. Much like the doughnuts or the hot cakes that are in sight of the doorway, a cheese tart goes very well with a tea or coffee. This is only the logical progress, especially here where people quite like their coffee.
Ultimately though, for what they are they will do quite well. If it were being able to rate as they were, it may be up to a 4.5 or a 5, however with a few aspects objectively missing it can't really be up there with the best of them for a pragmatic reason. Quantitative-wise, practically everything was able to be sampled while getting change from a 20, and no matter how good that is, justifying a high score to an unknowing outsider is an arduous task. Decent enough, good quality, and thankfully not as sweet as many other choices that could be made, time will tell how people as a whole think of it.
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