Kiki Bakery Baked Lucky Pudding: This Japanese-style cheesecake combines a milky pudding base, with a caramelized bottom, with a cheesecake top. Denser than expected, the cake nonetheless has a light eggy flavor. The combination of moist pudding with cake should combine the best of both worlds in theory, but here the pudding outshines the cake, which eats a bit dry. Purchased at a small Asian bakery called Kiki’s, with its own black cat mascot (a nod to the Ghibli film). 3.0/5.0
seattle cheesecake pudding kikibakery baked lucky 3.0
Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria Cheesecake: New York, the city of cheesecakes, squeezes in another well-executed rendition at Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, the bakery adjacent to former Lincoln’s chef’s namesake restaurant. A hockey-puck-sized cake is light and airy, not overly sweet yet still uniquely creamy. Topped with slightly tart but mostly sweet sliced strawberries, as well as halved pistachios. No one is asking for yet another cheesecake, but when it’s done well, it falls into place as if it always existed. 4.0/5.0
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Leonelli Focacceria E Pasticceria Pumpkin ricotta cheesecake: An accomplished dessert sandwich with a crispy base, smooth and creamy ricotta and pumpkin cheesecake, and toasted marshmallow (my favorite part). Memorable seasonal dessert from Flatiron-based pastry shop. 4.0/5.0
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Lotte Cheesecake Koala's March: The way this product sat on the shelves at my local kobini, I was initially drawn in by the cheesecake flavor before realizing it was also a special collaboration with Pokemon. These are standard Koala's March biscuits, shaped like koalas with an icing-like filling. With this collaboration, the cookies also feature prints of Pokemon as well as cute koalas doing random things (I found a koala caught in a UFO catcher in this box, something I suspect I wouldn't find in America). I liked Pokemo... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Morgenstern's Ginger Grapenut, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Mango Passion Rice Ice Cream: Morgenstern's, my favorite ice cream spot in NYC, has opened up an expansive shop at 88 West Houston, with an overwhelming number of flavors organized into categories like parlor favorites (including salt n' pepper pinenut and American egg), Bananas (including charred chocolate banana and banana kalamansi), and Misc (french fry, bread, and popcorn). I love options, but the menu is intimidating, even for me. This time, we tried three different scoops from three different categories. The gi... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Wanderlust Creamery Green apple wasabi sorbet and yuzu cheesecake ice cream: Located on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village (LA), Wanderlust Creamery offers flavors inspired by locations around the world. Their unusual flavors made it very difficult to pick just two, but I went with their green apple and wasabi sorbet along with yuzu cheesecake. I loved the tartness and spicy aftertaste of the apple wasabi, which was expertly balanced, and the yuzu cheesecake had a delicious graham crackle crumble and yuzu jam throughout. The flavors were fantastic and some of t... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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