Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake

Bakery: Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake
Address: 598 Bay St, Toronto ON 
Website: http://uncletetsu-ca.com/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

Well, I finally did it! I finally got my hands on an Uncle Tetsu cheesecake. And it required very little waiting on top of that (but more on that later). Ever since I was given the chance to try a little piece of Uncle Tetsu, I have oh-so eagerly been awaiting my opportunity to try those famous cheesecakes. I was determined to wait it out this time, especially since the line-up wasn't *that* bad as it had been in the past -- there were perhaps 7-8 people in front of me outside. Meanwhile, my partner in bakery crime that day stood by and, noticing that the Matcha Cafe next door was completely abandoned despite the fact that they advertised they now sold green tea and green tea & red bean cheesecakes, I told her to check if they actually sold the green tea varieties in the matcha cafe or you had to buy it in the cheesecake shop. She hesitantly went in and several seconds later, I got my cheesecake. ^-^ (Apparently I lucked out since when I came back to the streetcar stop more than an hour later, there were lines out the door to both stores) And hey, if I have the choice of getting matcha, I will so take it!

Horrible lighting... phenomenal taste!

Both regular and matcha/red bean varieties are the same price at $8.85 (an even $10 with tax), but the regular is larger, obviously to account for the high amount of matcha they use in baking it and matcha is not cheap. Of course, I didn't mind at all. I happily, eagerly made my way home with my little box in its smiling bag (ignoring the fact that some guy started taking pictures of it on the streetcar -_-) and lovingly unwrapped the towel to reveal a petite, bright green cheesecake. Oh boy!

Oh yeah, keep the slices of  cheesecake coming!

I've tried "Japanese" cheesecake at Chinese bakeries as well as imported-from-Taiwan ones from the Chinese supermarket and I thought them pretty good, but I had never really tried Japanese cheesecake... and I am never going back to the mediocre imitations. I'm not sure if anyone in that line up is there because the cheesecake is actually good and they appreciate it, but Uncle Tetsu's matcha cheesecake blew my mind. Holy-moly! I honestly did not think there would be such a difference. This wasn't any old cheesecake, this was light-as-air, matcha (with a high-quality Japanese matcha, not the somewhat bitter, standard sencha-tasting stuff they put in pseudo-Japanese baked goods) mousse. Heavenly is as close a word as I can find. Uncle Tetsu, I'm in love! *-*

[UPDATE] I knew the day would come... I chanced upon the original cheesecake shop with just one person inside and finally had my chance to try the classic Japanese cheesecake ($10). I thought the fad had finally waned (the wave simply moved down the street to Tsujiri), but then after lunch, the line had returned... anyways, the original cheesecake is just as heavenly as its green tea cousin. With Bake Code's take fresh in my mind, I experienced the pinnacle of cheesecake at Uncle Tetsu's: light and fluffy, it's like biting into a cheesy cloud. At first I was thinking that I would have to love the matcha version more, but after my slice, I'm not so sure anymore. Either way, the rating abides!

Rating: ****