Showing posts with label Japanese cheesecake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese cheesecake. Show all posts

Cheese Garden (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, September 02, 2018 by

In case you’re wondering, Cheese Garden is not an export from Japan. Although, it is inspired by all the pastries found in the area when Ruka (owner) visited the country and decided to learn the recipes to bring these confections back to Canada.  

The Japanese cheesecake ($10) is widely found across the GTA and probably the first thing people think about with Japanese cheese-based baked goods. Cheese Garden’s is not as buttery as some of their competitors, but is smoother while still retaining that fluffiness you expect from the cake.


My go-to way of sampling the cake is in three stages: fresh from the shop; leaving in the fridge for at least 8 hours before a second slice; and finally waiting a full 24 hours before having a last taste. On previous occasions, I generally prefer the confection after a day in the fridge. In the cold, the cake deepens and turns creamier. Oddly, with Cheese Garden’s I actually preferred it fresh, possibly because it was so silky to begin with.


What separates Cheese Garden from their competitors is their expanded offering - they are not a single recipe pony. And if you like cheese their double fromage cheesecake ($18.95) will make you swoon.


Inspired by the famous creation from LeTAO from Hokkaido, the cake consists of two layers – the top frozen while the bottom baked. They are sandwiched together amongst sponge cake bits, melding into one to give the eater two flavours and consistencies.

If you’ve ever seen pictures of LeTAO’s version, there’s a stark distinction between the frozen and baked layers (the bottom is darker). Meanwhile, the colour variation at Cheese Garden is slight, but if you look closely you’ll see the top frozen layer is smoother and less crumbly.


Following the directions, I left the cake at room temperature for about half an hour before cutting. By this point, it was still difficult to cut through and there was an icy consistency covering everything. So, it went back into the fridge and after another 4 hours the second slice was much better, the top layer softened and resembled an ice cream cake crossed with tiramisu.


By the following day, still in the fridge as I didn’t want to keep freezing and defrosting the cake, it turned even creamier, the top layer seeping into the bottom and became what I’d call a cheesy trifle (without all the fruit).

While the double fromage is only 4.5 inches, it’s really rich. So, despite being small, I can see why the cake can feed six. The cheese flavours are definitely more pronounced than the Japanese cheesecake, but still light and mellower than western counterparts.

Having only sampled a third of Cheese Garden’s creations, this is the bakery to go to if you don’t mind spending more for something different. With a plethora of choices, perhaps it’s the excuse you need to round up a group of cheese lovers for a tea party.   

 Disclaimer: The above cakes were complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5291 Yonge Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

Cheese Garden Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Akira Back (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, April 21, 2018 by

Despite sounding like a Justin Timberlake song, Akira Back is named after a notable American chef, who’s also the co-owner of his first Canadian restaurant. Chef Back is known to blend Japanese cuisine with other cultures; at the Toronto restaurant the tradition continues with Spanish, Korean, and Chinese influences in the dishes we sampled.

Set in the new Bisha Hotel, Akira Back’s entrance is to the left of the lobby. On the second floor, the elevator opens onto a carbon black room with a warm wood sushi bar at the very back … there’s a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel feel.

Their menu also uniquely offers the same dish at different price points, where the cost varies depending on the ingredient used. For example, an aburi can range from $17 for whitefish to $35 if it’s topped with wagyu. I like the concept, diners can find an option that’s “affordable” or, if they really enjoy aburi, order all three.

Many tables were getting the crispy pork belly maki ($14). Despite it arriving with a bottle of overly salty soy, you don’t need it, since every element of the maki is already flavourful: from the melt-in-your-mouth pork to the creamy coleslaw and a thick apple miso. Akira’s chefs don’t shy away from using a fatty piece of pork; the centre of the maki is literally a cube of well rendered fat adjoined with a shard of crispy skin. If you like suckling pig, this is it in maki form.


The baked crab hand roll ($16) also didn’t need any other condiments thanks to the lightly-spiced dynamite mayo used inside. I enjoyed the thick piece of crab leg meat against the soft rice and delicate soybean paper wrapper. While the rice itself could use more vinegar, the consistency was spot on.  


Trying to decide between the cold and hot octopus options, our waiter suggested the octopus crudo ($19). Arriving as large meaty slices, it was tender enough and had a nice natural sweetness. The minced tomato salsa on top made it messy to eat, but paired nicely with the octopus.


The only disappointing dish was the 48-hours wagyu short rib ($32): it was no different compared to a run-of-the-mill short rib, something tender to begin with. The dish was likely cooked sous vide, on the lowest possible temperature, as after 48 hours the inside was still pink. While I can’t be certain I’ve had real Japanese wagyu, what’s used at Akira can’t be it. The meat simply didn’t incorporate the intense marbling you’d expect from the ingredient – there was one very lean cube and another with a thick layer of fat – but had the fat evenly distributed.  


While a bit oily, the kimchi and bacon fried rice ($11) hit the spot… you can taste the heat from the kimchi! Paired with the cooling crudo, it’s a pretty good combination.


Akira’s desserts cater to ice cream lovers – every plate arrives with a small sphere of ice cream or gelato. However, the descriptions can be a little vague. Wanting a richer dessert, I went with the black sesame cheese cake ($12). I should have known that Japanese cheesecake is super healthy and the dish arrives with cubes of what taste like black sesame tofu. Tossed with cubes of black sesame sponge cake, even the pastry was not overly sweet. The most decadent part of the dessert was the soybean powder ice cream, which was more milky than creamy. If you want a light and not sweet dessert, this is the one to order.


Meanwhile, the apple harumaki ($12), something that sounds fruity, ended up being the heavier dessert. Caramelized apple pieces are wrapped in phyllo or soy bean wrapper and deep fried creating a sweet spring roll. It was great, especially when it’s hot, and not too indulgent despite being deep fried.


Akira Back is not authentic Japanese cuisine and the price points are higher than other Japanese fusion restaurants. Like ICONINK’s other restaurants, you go there for the ambience and a night out. This would explain why even on Tuesday the restaurant didn’t become busy until after 8pm. It’s where you go to be seen… Akira’s bringing sushi back.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 80 Blue Jays Way, 2nd floor

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Akira Back Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Sushi Bar (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, February 10, 2018 by

The Sushi Bar’s name isn’t distinctive; in fact, it’s not even accurate, since their menu extends way beyond sushi. They’re actually an izakaya … but I guess The Izakaya Bar would be confusing to those not versed in Japanese cuisine and redundant. So, we’ll go with The Sushi Bar.


While the sushi is decent, it’s not their strongest dish. We tried the special of the day, an aji ($8), and it’s not something I’ll re-order. Having had my fair share of horse mackerel, the fish was cut too large making it impossible to eat in one mouthful, which meant you had to bite through the chewy meat. Moreover, it wasn’t meticulously cleaned so the strong fishy essence remains. There weren’t even enough condiments to cover it up: the dot of green onion was insufficient and the fish could benefit from a swipe of a sweet soy reduction (the regular soy sauce is simply too salty).


Their maki rolls are better, the Red Dragon ($15) was beautifully presented with vibrant salmon slices topped with tempura bits, fish roe, and green onion – although the roll would be more appropriately named as Orange Dragon. Sadly, it looked better than it tasted. It was a bit chewy and seemed like the rice, nori, and shrimp tempura portion was prepared ahead of time and the roll assembled later; or maybe the rice simply lacked rice vinegar and the tempura batter's consistency too thick.


Of all the sushi, the spicy salmon ($6) was a hit: I loved the big chunks of salmon and the spicy mayo seems to be mixed with a tiny bit of cream cheese to give it a thick silky finish.


The tuna tataki ($11) starts off strong with beautifully sliced seared tuna sashimi with grated ginger garnishes on top. The bed of radish and carrot salad was also shredded to a delicate texture. Yet, it was so bland for tataki, merely a bit of citrus and drops of soy. The tuna rub could be more pronounced or at least add more ponzu to everything. The only saving grace was the freshness of the tuna.

Thankfully, the chicken yaki udon ($13.50) was tastier, the thick chewy noodles glistening with sauce and when mixed with the nori simply delicious. The chicken and vegetables could be cut thinner so it combines better with the noodles and eaten together – a small fault I can overlook.   

By far the best dish of the evening was the black cod ($10). It arrives without an ounce of sauce, but the fish is so well marinated that it floods the mouth with a lovely salty sweet essence – sauce be damned! Flaky, moist, and beautifully prepared, on return visits I’m having an order of black cod with a bowl of noodles in soup.


Although they’re no Uncle Tetsu, The Sushi Bar’s Japanese cheese cake ($4.50) was a satisfying finish – not as buttery, but incorporates a stronger cheese taste since it’s denser. Of course, cheese cake is also a dessert that’s often found in izakayas than sushi bars, but we’ve already established – it’s an izakaya.


Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3365 Yonge Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
The Sushi Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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