Cheese Cake

My trip to Japan last spring, as awesome as it was, produced one failure that I still regret daily since returning to the USA --and that being my inability to taste a Rikuro's Cheese Cake! Lord knows I tried, but the 2 hour long line wait times (at the endlessly bustling Osaka locations anyway) seriously hampered any chance I might have had at partaking in this famous delicacy. Here are a few pix I took while dying in line with countless other frustrated, drooling people:





Not at all like the cheesecake that westerners are used to, Rikuro's recipe produces something altogether unique and amazing (looking), more along the lines of a soft, fluffy spongecake, apparently not too sweet, and the smell-- OMG. They say it's like the most incredibly light, moist, gigantic cheesecake muffin top you ever wish you could just freakin' try. They even sprinkle a few raisins along the bottom, and then they adorably cattle brand their cute lil chef logo right onto the top. Fyi this pic is not mine:



Check out Rikuro's official website HERE for more info.

In the unfortunately more mundane meantime, (and the other point of this post), people here in the states can get a slightly different fix with this Korean snack size Mr. Cheese Cake variation from Samlip, which can be found at most asian or international style markets. The package says they've been around for 60 years, and I have to admit, it's really really yummy...







...but I imagine it's a far far cry from the real thing pulled hot 'n fresh from a Rikuro oven. And for now, I will continue to just imagine.