LeTAO Pathos [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: LeTAO Pathos (ルタオ パトス)
Address: 5-22 Sakaimachi, Otaru, Hokkaido 
Website: https://www.letao.jp
Style: Japanese
Price: $$$ 

Ahhh, LeTAO! Just the idea alone brings back many pleasant memories of cake perfection... LeTAO is without a doubt the confectionery empire in Otaru. With like fifty concept stores in town (okay, perhaps a slight exaggeration), it's nearly impossible to miss - even if you did, Chitose airport sells whole cakes - and not going is equal to passing up one of the food highlights of Hokkaido. Think I'm going overboard? Well, I would have thought so too....

LeTAO's main focus is selling nicely packaged cheesecakes and cookie gift boxes at unsurprisingly high prices. Depending on which store you go to, the specialty might be slightly different, but cheese is a definite theme. I was thinking of getting a whole cake at first, but had second thoughts when I saw the price; even the individual slices sold at the cafe corner (one of just a handful of sweets sold for immediate consumption) were a bit over my usual budget. However, all that changed when a worker stepped up to me and offered a free sample of their "famous" double fromage cheesecake - I was in line for a slice the next instant and was seriously thinking of making a return in the evening.

Although they have a few other - including seasonal - flavours, only the original is sold in slices. The double fromage cheesecake (410 yen) is a multi-tiered creation consisting of essentially two cheesecakes on top of each other - hence the name. The bottom layer is a classic Japanese souffle cheesecake, heavier and denser compared to everything else. On top of this is a fluffy mascarpone cheese cream layer; above that, whipped cream and soft cake crumbs. This was an incredible flavour and texture experience. It was like eating a creamy yet unbelievably weightless cloud. Oh man... this was AMAZING! Too small, but cake perfection nonetheless.

Rating: ****