It is 11:20 am and the sweet smell of honey is wafting out onto the streets, a reminder of why I’m standing in a lineup that’s making bystanders marvel as it snakes down the street. I know I’m feeding the hysteria, but I’m also staying true to my mission: to find the best cheesecakes in Toronto.
Is Uncle Tetsu’s one of them? This is the beloved Japanese brand’s first store outside of Asia.
People from all walks of life – research-minded foodies to those who are just curious – converge at the corner of Bay and Dundas to wait nearly two hours for a taste.
As you step into the tiny space, the intoxicating smells intensify. Cheerful Japanese music plays quietly as staff members diligently measure, mix, stir and pour ingredients from one baking vessel into another. Interestingly, the ingredients are all Canadian.
At the front of the shop, a small oven bakes madeleines, while a large one in the back has three decks for cheesecakes. The oven can only hold 12 cakes at a time, which must bake for 45 minutes. That explains the wait time.
By 12:48 pm, cakes in the latest batch are getting a branded stamp, and are then carefully swaddled in cheesecloth and packaged in a red and white parcel. I ask if you’re supposed to eat it hot or cold. “I’d try it both ways, but personally, I like it cold from the fridge,” says one of the staff.
“Arigatou gozaimasu!” shout the staff as I leave and rush home to try the cake.
I cut a steamy, fragrant wedge, then pop some into my mouth. It’s slightly squishy and easy to eat. If you enjoy soufflés or angel food cake, you’ll adore its delicate sweetness and eggy, spongy texture.
I prefer my cheesecake to have rich texture with a higher ratio of cream cheese to flour. Uncle Tetsu’s is a light and decent-tasting cake, but is it worth the nearly two-hour wait? I don’t think so.
598 Bay, at Dundas, 647-941-1806, uncletetsu-ca.com, @uncletetsuPH
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