LIFESTYLE
Rated: The Best Japanese Cheese Tarts in KL
Japanese baked cheese tarts arrived in Singapore in April this year through the popular Hokkaido-based bakery, Bake Cheese Tart. Across the causeway, a cheesy storm was brewing and it wasn't long before it swept across Malaysia and we received our own cheese tarts... though none that actually originated from Japan. Anyway, for our test we've assembled four cheese tarts that claim some sort of Japanese origin, i.e., Komugi, Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, Tokyo Secret, and Uncle Tetsu (the only one that actually originated from Japan).
(L-R) Tokyo Secret, Komugi, Uncle Tetsu, and Hokkaido Based Cheese Tart. The difference in size is quite significant. (Image: Rojak Daily)
How did we conduct our test?
We had four participants in the test and conducted a blind taste test. The tarts were labeled with numbers sequentially from one to four and our tasters were asked to assign a numerical value to the cheese tarts, judging the "Crust" and the "Cheese" on a scale of one to five, one being bad and five being good. Finally, they were required to rank the tarts based on their preferences. Our participants were Rojak Daily's Content Producers Iylia and Jessica, Editor Amresh, and resident videographer Ian. We totalled the score of each tart on trial to determine a ranking. Everyone gave individual rankings as well that reflect the result you see here. Read below for everyone's comments on their number one pick. On to the scores: 
1. Tokyo Secret, RM7.90
Image: Rojak Daily
| Iylia | Jessica | Amresh | Ian | |
| Cheese | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Crust | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Total Score: 35
2. Komugi, RM5.90
Image: Rojak Daily
| Iylia | Jessica | Amresh | Ian | |
| Cheese | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Crust | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Total Score: 28
3. Uncle Tetsu Cheesecake, RM4.50
Image: Rojak Daily
| Iylia | Jessica | Amresh | Ian | |
| Cheese | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Crust | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Total Score: 28
4. Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, RM5.80
Image: Rojak Daily
| Iylia | Jessica | Amresh | Ian | |
| Cheese | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Crust | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Total Score: 25
WINNER: TOKYO SECRET
"It had a nice creamy flavour and the texture of the crust was flaky and cumbled nicely in the mouth." – Ian"The cream 'filling' (hah!) is tasty and has a nice texture as well. It's not too watery and not overly thick. The crust isn't too flaky or dry and has a nice consistency." – Amresh
"I really enjoyed the crust. It has a fragrant coconut flavour. The cheese filling is also nice and not too sweet." – Jessica
You get what you pay for. Tokyo Secret truly has the secret recipe among all the (pseudo) Japanese baked cheese tarts on trial. Of note is the fact that the cheapest tart, Uncle Tetsu's, was ranked number one by Iylia, and number two by Amresh, and is the only brand that has an actual Japanese origin. So, that's a good second option. These tarts are available around the country and we're still waiting for Bake from Japan to arrive in Malaysia... till then enjoy Tokyo Secret in Sunway Pyramid and 1 Utama.
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