Vancouver’s first ever Uncle Tetsu shop has opened in Metrotown just a couple of weeks ago. It’s a Japanese cheesecake chain that’s been around since 1990. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t seem to be very popular in Japan itself (I asked many of my Japanese friends whether they knew this store, and 90% of them said they had never heard of it). After doing a bit of Googling, I found out that it was established in Fukuoka, Japan and there are only a few locations here. Most of its popularity actually comes from their shops in other countries, namely Taiwan and China. Now, the brand has many locations in different parts of the world, including here in Canada (Toronto & Vancouver). As seen with the recent opening of Japanese big brands like Uniqlo and Muji, there was a lot of anticipation and hype for Uncle Tetsu as well, evident by the crazy long lineups. Due to its high demand, the cheesecakes are limited to only 1 per person. If you want more, you have to line up again!..
Finally got it!
After 2 hours of eagerly waiting in line for these coveted cheesecakes, we finally got them! Part of what made the whole process so slow was not only due to the crazy people lining up for them (me included), but also because they only had 1 oven and 1 register to pay! With such limited resources and staff, it’s no wonder it’s such a dreadfully slow process to just get 1 cheesecake!
Cheesecakes waiting to be stamped
The cheesecakes are 7 inches and $13 each which are quite pricey, in my opinion. They also sell honey madeleines (4 for $7.50 or 1 for $2.50) and rusks which are basically sliced cheesecakes that are baked again to make them crispy. The rusks were sold out when we got there but we ended up buying the honey madeleines to try out as well.
Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake ($13)
So… how was the taste? Well, to be completely honest, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting a rich flavour and melt in your mouth texture from these cheesecakes as advertised but it fell short of my expectations. The texture was pretty good – it was light and airy but it didn’t have that melt-in-your-mouth feeling. What was more of a let-down, though, was actually the flavour. It tasted eggy rather than cheesy. However, I did find that it tasted much better after being chilled in the fridge. I much preferred the honey madeleines, which were buttery and rich without being overly sweet.
To be fair, I’ve had authentic Japanese cheesecake before from Osaka’s famous Rikuro’s Cheesecake and I guess I was expecting something of that calibre. Uncle Tetsu’s is not bad, but it’s not amazing either and I just can’t justify lining up so long for this. When there’s no longer a line up to get these and the hype subsides, I wouldn’t mind going back to give it another shot. However, until that time comes, I would suggest avoiding waiting hours in line for just a “good but not great” cheesecake (unless you enjoy lining up)!
Conclusion: Not worth the hype
Food – 7/10
Value – 6.5/10
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