Bakery:
H. Rustica (パティスリー・ヒルンド・ルスティカ)
Address:
5 Chome-12-10 Hagimi, Wakkanai, Hokkaido
Website:
http://www.hirundo.jp/
Style:
Japanese, European
Price:
$$-$$$
No longer in the location I visited (I'm not sure if they closed that location or simply moved), H. Rustica is a small patisserie with an equally small selection of dainty pastries and baggies of French and Italian-style cookies; there are more options for eating in, including ice cream desserts and a la mode cakes and pancakes. A bit on the pricier side, even compared to other patisseries, the items available are elegant yet simple.
One of the cheaper and less fragile (I didn't want it to be ruined during transport) cakes was their cheesecake (356 yen). Unlike a great many Japanese cheesecakes, which are either a fluffy souffle style or no-bake, this was denser and cheesier than expected. It didn't have that featherweight texture to it and, during that first bite, I'll admit I was a little disappointed. However, all was regained in that second bite. The slightly crumbly texture, that unusually cheesy mass... and then it hit me: I would almost call this a Russian-style cheesecake. Whether it's due to the close proximity to Sakhalin and Wakkanai being Japan's gateway to Russia or not, this should be considered quite the compliment - Eastern European, Russian in particular, is the best style of cheesecake! An unexpected yet delicious surprise.
Rating: ***1/2
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