Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake

I'm always a sucker for new dessert places.

I remember hearing of a Japanese cheesecake

place opening up at Westfield Santa Anita,

but didn't really think much of it.

Wasn't able to attend the media preview,

so now's my chance to get to

sample Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake.

Ever since they had their Grand Opening,

the lines have been long.

I heard from a couple of friends

that the wait was about 50 minutes.

I happened to be at the mall and

decided to check out the line.

But first, I had to get over there.

As Steve Jobs' said,

"The Journey is the Reward"

(the back way to the Asian food hallway)

The line didn't seem too long the first day

I stopped by.

Why the line?

They come out of the oven and 

straight to the customer.

But I had an appointment in the area,

so I will have to wait another time.

Today is the Day!

I arrived at Westfield after 4 pm on a Thursday.

 The line wasn't long at all,

compared to my other visit.

My guess was 28 minutes

and I started my stopwatch.

They bake 12 cheesecakes

at a time and seem to have

the process down.  But there's still

a wait due to the volume of people in line.

The line seemed to move,

especially when cakes came out of

the oven.  Due to the demand,

it was one cake per person in line.

I actually only waited 16 minutes,

SCORE!!!

I got my Original Japanese Cheesecake!

($8.75 + tax = $9.54)

Each one is boxed to go.

If you're going to eat it there,

you can get a fork or two.

See What Jay Eats...

It's about the size of a personal pan pizza.

 The consistency is more of a soufflé / sponge cake

than a cheesecake.  It's not really sweet,

but has a nice airy texture, esp right out of the oven.  

Remember, it's a Japanese dessert,
so it's not super sweet.

Each one is branded with the Uncle Tetsu logo.

Right now, they are just making their

Original cheesecake,

other flavors to come. 

It was good, but I wouldn't wait more

than 20 minutes for one.

Is it enough to serve a family of 4?

It will be small pieces.

If you need more than one cake,

take some friends with you.

They do have other items,

Cheesecake Biscotti

Madeleines

Cookies

Drinks

Epilogue:  After sitting in the refrigerator all night,
I think I liked it better the next day.
It wasn't as light and fluffy, but more dense.
I think I liked it better this way.

Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake

Westfield Santa Anita

400 S Baldwin Ave, #M15

Arcadia, CA 91007

(626) 254-9007

or 

Royal Hawaiian Center

2nd Level Food Court

2233 Kalakaua Ave

Honolulu, HI 96815

Photos By Jay Terauchi

Jay Eats Worldwide

©Jay Terauchi