Pablo Cheese Tart

Okay, I'm sure you've seen this before - Japanese soufflé cheesecakes with their airy and creamy textures.  People have lined up for those and hey I have to admit, I do like them.  We've also seen places that offer up cheese tarts as a different option to the soufflé cheesecake.  Pablo Cheese Tart, another brand out-of-Japan, has entered the Vancouver market offering up cheese tarts (in both large and small sizes) in a variety of flavours.  I was invited to a sneak peek of the place before it opens officially opens on July 21st at 11:00am.  Yes, that is today!

Before I got to the cheese tarts, I sampled some of their Pablo Smoothies including Mango, Strawberry and Cheese Tart.  Normally I'm not much of a dessert guy but these were just sweet enough and had some good natural flavours.  I particularly enjoyed the strawberry as it didn't have an artificial aftertaste.  It was creamy and smooth, yet being fairly light at-the-same-time.  The mango was also natural-tasting while being more mild than the strawberry.  I found the cheese tart interesting as I felt like I was drinking an original cheese tart.  Loved the cheesiness that was mildly sweet.

Onto the full-sized items, I had to go for the classic Freshly Baked Cheese Tart.  This featured a firm crust that was somewhat flaky.  It was the perfect textural contrast to the soft and creamy cheese filling.  About that filling, it had a distinct initial cheesy hit that carried on to the cheesy aftertaste.  Pretty consistent through each bite.  It was not overly sweet, rather relying on aromatics and pungency.  The apricot jam glaze on top helped keep things from drying out as well as offering up some fruity sweetness.

So for those trying to get their Japanese soufflé cheesecake fix, they have a Basque Cheesecake that is somewhat similar to that.  Unlike the Uncle Tetsu and Castella, the Basque cheesecake at Pablo has that classic sunken appearance as well as a slightly scorched top.  Hence, there is much more of a denser layer on top while the rest of the cheesecake is a touch richer.  With that being said, when cut, the cheesecake is still very light and airy (almost falling apart).  The cheesiness is evident and the sweetness measured.  I quite liked this since there was a definite delineation between the top of the cheesecake and the bottom.

Onto the real draw of Pablo Cheese Tart - the Pablo Minis!  These are so cute and aesthetically-pleasing.  Their take out boxes are well-made and sturdy, keeping those precious tarts in one piece.  I can see bringing these to a get-together and being a hero much like bringing over Beta 5 cream puffs.  They are priced at $4.99 for each deluxe tart and $4.75 for the basic ones (such as the original). These have a soufflé-like texture, but a bit firmer.  Something in between a soufflé cheesecake and a regular baked one.  I'm sure this is due to their smaller size in comparison to the large Basque Cheesecake.

I tried most of what they had including the Chestnut, Tiramisu, Ube and White Chocolate Raspberry.  I'm not a huge fan of chestnut anything but this was okay due to the modest amount on top.  It was sweet and nutty.  Tiramisu had familiar flavours, but much cheesier due to the filling.  Loved the colour on the ube and ultimately it was on the sweeter side.  Talking about sweet, the white chocolate was definitely that but the raspberry balanced it out with some tangy fruitiness.

The baseline tart was the Classic and it was similar to its bigger version except being more firm.  The Blueberry was somewhat different as the cheese filling had blueberry in it (making it look kinda grey).  As much as blueberry is a subtle fruit, the filling did taste like it.  The Crème Brûlée featured a torched sugar topping that was smoky and sweet.  Apple Cinnamon was one of the most impactful due to the amount of topping it had.  It did take on the sweet apple flavour.

Last 3 consisted of the Peach, Juicy Mango and Strawberry Mochi. These all had one thing in common - being pretty fruity.  So if you want something a bit lighter due to the fruit, these would be it.  The most flavourful was the mango since it was sweet and "juicy".  Loved the mochi on the strawberry as it provided another texture.  Overall, the cheese tarts at Pablo are good and the options are pretty extensive.  I didn't even get to try their Matcha and Earl Grey cheese tarts as well as the Chocolate and Premium Cheesecake.  Will be back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- The minis are attractive and taste good too
- Lots of choice
- Cheese flavour is impactful

The Bad:
- With any of these Japanese cheesecake/cheese tart spots, it can get expensive