Who says only steak can be rare or medium? Our trip to Shinsaibashi wasn't for sartorial purchases but for errrr ...a serious degustation. From the delectable Japanese dishes to yummy lollies with anime designed wrappers, the place, while it's mostly famous for its shopping arcade, is definitely a food haven. Despite the crowd, people seemed to know where they were going and being the tourists that we were, we just went with the flow. We wanted to be where people were as cows flock where the grasses are. And true enough we followed a crowd that led us to a line snaking on the side of a bright store that continued up on the side of the street. In a heartbeat I told my travel buddy (and boyfriend, best friend, among others) we have to try whatever it was. The sign said PABLO and from afar we can tell that it's a pastry looking shop. I rushed to the end of the snaky line and asked the lady in front of me if she's already tried it. She smiled, nodded, did a hand gesture and muttered something I can't understand all at the same time. Then she did a thumbs up sign so I took it as she was telling me Pablo is a must try.
As we were nearing the entrance of the shop, we could see from the glass window a pâtissier (pastry chef) with a round pan that already had the base and the side crusts. That seemed to be the first stage of this so-called tartlet, I thought. Another pâtissier with a big pot poured a liquid cheese onto the round pan that looked like it solidified as soon it was poured. And as the line progressed, we can see each stage of the best tartlet in the making.
 |
| Pâtissiers making sure the cheese is layered evenly on the crust |
 |
| Another pâtissier brushing a yellow (lemon) coat onto the tarlet that serves as its top layer |
After 15 minutes of waiting and watching them make the reason we all lined up for, I finally got to the counter. I was asked if I wanted rare or medium. "I wasn't ordering steak, was I?" I joked then asked what the difference is. A rare cheese tartlet has a soft, light texture and the inside is almost melting. The medium is described as the "exquisite roast" as it has a crispy flaky dough and the inside is solid. The best seller is the rare one so I went for it. We later on tried the medium one when we were already at Shibuya in Tokyo.
 |
| A rare cheese tartlet courtesy of the Pablo website | |
| cheese is light and "melty" | |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| The "exquisite roast" - crispy crust with cheese in solid texture |
 |
| Several curious souls wondering what the line is all about |
 |
| Rare cheese tartlet with the brand symbol painted using a glossy apricot jam |
I
am no cheese connoisseur but this cheese tartlet is definitely the best
that I've tried in Japan. There are other different cheese tart shops
around Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo but they just don't compare to Pablo. Both
tartlets are good but I prefer the rare; I don't like the hard, crispy
flaky dough of the medium one but the cheese part was just as good. For
741 YEN (800 with tax) this is definitely a good dessert for sharing...or not!
Stores: PABLO has stores in Shinsaibashi, JR Osaka Station, Dotonbori, Umeda and Namba in OSAKA (basically all the touristy area) and Shibuya and Shinjuku in TOKYO
