Uncle Tetsu's Angel Cafe [RIP]

Bakery: Uncle Tetsu's Angel Cafe
Address: 191 Dundas St W, Toronto ON
Website: http://uncletetsu-ca.com/ 
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

In an attempt at what looks like taking over the whole city -- or at least the Bay and Dundas intersection -- Uncle Tetsu has returned with a third baked good destination and quite possibly the most gimmicky one yet. In some ways, even I, an ardent fan of Tetsu's delectably fluffy cheesecakes and buttery madeleines, find it getting a little out of hand and all rather tacky. Of course, I say these things prior to eating and independent of what my taste buds are trying to tell me. ;)

Unlike the first two, the Angel Cafe is putting the cafe first and foremost, with fluffy, domed cheesecakes -- the signature product -- coming as a mere accessory to the city's first maid cafe, most notably featuring girls dolled up in maid outfits. Today's baked good supplier found the concept "a little creepy" and likened being ushered inside by a pair of eager, short-skirted, white-aproned workers to entering an adults-only club. Now, I'm not so harsh a critic and think it all for the sake of fun, creativity (and money); gaudy, unbearably so, but nothing outlandish. :P

Uncle Tetsu's Angel Cafe, like its predecessors, features a limited menu of sweets that can be enjoyed there, in the form of single servings of various types of cheesecake, or taken home. Do note that the famous cheesecake cannot be purchased here except as a single slice! Instead, there is the fresh cheesecake (at $18, I believe, it's by far the most expensive product available in the Uncle Tetsu franchise) in a variety of flavours and well as the semi-namesake: Angel Hats.

 These ball-shaped cheesecakes ($10) likewise come in a variety of flavours: original, green tea, chocolate, and strawberry. Hopefully, I'm not missing any. Unlike the classic, Angel Hats use two cheeses, Grana Padano (reminiscent of Parmesan cheese) along with the traditional cream cheese. The result is actually not cheesier, but slightly... riper? The texture is light and fluffy -- the fluffiest of the family -- and, in fact, it resembles more a mousse cake than a cheesecake; in some ways, it gives off the impression of being a dessert and not a cake at all and so, unlike with a Japanese cheesecake, you almost want/expect it to have a crust at the bottom; perhaps taking the strawberry one further reinforced this yogourt-dessert idea? Weird to cut into and serve, this has to be my least favourite Tetsu product.

That being said, it's still Uncle Tetsu's and that means simple ingredients that turn into something absolutely delicious. The Uncle's still got it. (Just maybe give someone else a shot at opening a sweets shop in the area?) ^.^

Rating: ***