Many expect cheesecake to be rich, dense and creamy but the Japanese version is surprisingly light and fluffy. It has also won over fans who prefer their cheesecake to be less cloying.

“Since we opened Kumori Japanese Bakery at the basement levels of Landmark Makati and SM Makati within months of each other, our Hanjuku cheesecakes have become our bestsellers,” said Linfred Hans G. Yap, managing partner at The Relish Group. Other restaurants in the group are Wee Nam Kee and Osaka Ohsho.

“First-time customers who are drawn to our stall buy one cheesecake they eat on the spot. More often than not, they circle around and buy a box to take home or to share. Seventy percent of the people who buy one Hanjuku end up purchasing an entire box,” Yap said.

There’s something about Kumori’s Hanjuku cheesecake that makes it next to impossible to eat only one. The egg-like, custard-like texture is addicting and might remind one of Macanese egg tarts.

Weekend promo

The bakery also sells whole cakes including Tofu Cheesecake (P920), Light Double Cheesecake (P480) and Saku-Saku Chocolate Cake (P1,100). For Father’s Day weekend, June 19-21, the whole cakes will be priced at 20-percent off.

Those with a sweet tooth can also try their Soft Matcha Bun, a bun with green tea filling topped with powdered sugar and green tea powder; or the Toyohashi Pudding, single-serve cups of leche flan-like (crème caramel) chilled pudding.

Don’t forget to push your spoon all the way to the bottom so you get some of that rich caramel sauce. Aside from the original variant, the pudding is available in chocolate and green tea flavors.

“I remember when I first tried this in Japan, I ended up eating three in one sitting,” Yap said.

Kumori Bakery sells an even mix of breads and pastries with plans to introduce more in the coming months. Yap hopes they will also attract those who want something more savory like the Salmon Bonito (two soft buns with a salmon filling drizzled with teriyaki sauce and generously sprinkled with bonito flakes), the Parmesan Cheese Bun, or the Cheesy Ham and Mushroom Bun.

More stores are planned within the year with the third to open by November at SM City North Edsa.

“We want to keep things fresh for our customers so we will periodically roll out new items. Our new stores will be inline spaces meaning they will have more seating,” Yap said.