(upbeat music)
- [Lisa] The fluffy wobbly Japanese cheesecake
has taken the world by storm in the past couple years.
You've never had one quite like this.
Uncle Tetsu's has been selling
the signature dessert in Japan for over 30 years.
People have been lining the streets of Times Square
to get a taste at its first east coast storefront.
- I saw it on social media and I wondered what it's like.
So I passed them when they first opened,
I saw a huge line.
Waited a few days and I was like, I have to try it.
So I did and it's really good.
- Uncle Tetsu first opened up shop in 1985 in Japan
selling jiggly airy fluffy Japanese cheesecakes.
And since then has sought to take over the world,
opening up shops in China, Pakistan, Canada,
and they are finally available right here
on the American east coast.
And of course, the first shop that they opened up
was right here in Times Square.
So naturally I had to go check it out.
Now, Uncle Tetsu isn't the first
souffle cheesecake in the game.
The concept has been around since the 70s in Japan.
And in New York alone there are more than
a few bakeries dishing out wobbly cheesecakes.
But with about 75 shops across Asia,
Uncle Tetsu's is a household name overseas.
With an airy structure that melts in your mouth
like cotton candy, these desserts make for Insta-gold.
Just look at that jiggle.
- [Lisa] And it's all completed with a signature touch.
- This is Uncle Tetsu's face.
Uncle Tetsu actually looks like this.
I think Uncle Tetsu became such a global phenomenon
because no matter where you go people love sweets.
Every culture loves sweets.
Uncle Tetsu's dream was to always open in New York,
since New York is known for New York style cheesecake.
He's teaching people and allowing them to understand
that Uncle Tetsu Japanese cheesecake is not as dense
and heavy, it's kind of a fun whimsical type of feeling
that brings out your inner childhood even as an adult.
- I've always wanted to try the Japanese cheesecake
that everyone's raving about.
So I decided to come by, and stop by before I head home.
- [Lisa] What about it drew you in?
- Everything.
The videos of how they make it, the fluffiness.
- [Lisa] What are you most excited about?
- Trying the first bite.
(laughing)
- [Lisa] A mix of perfectly fluffy meringue,
and a traditional sour cheesecake,
an Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake begins with
30 eggs whipped to stiff peak in a giant mixing bowl.
Then the chef gets to making the cheesecake base,
butter, cream cheese, and milk.
The chef puts on gloves that reach
all the way up to his shoulders,
in order to fold the batter by hand.
After ladling the mixture into lined cheesecake tins,
the cheesecakes are popped into the super high-tech ovens
Uncle Tetsu had imported from Japan for precision baking.
Ensuring perfection with every single batch.
They're packed up right out of the oven.
But not before each cake is carefully branded
with the seal of approval,
the jolly uncle himself smiling back at you.
- Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake is the best cheesecake
because it's not to heavy, it's not too light,
it's the perfect balance in a cheesecake.
- It's good. - Yeah?
- It's so light.
It's so fluffy.
Tastes like a cloud.
- This feels crazy.
It's like stable but it also feels like
it's going to die in my hands.
I'm afraid to hold this it's so...
It's like nothing I've ever held before.
It's like, uh.
I'm gonna put this down now.
It's like dessert and a toy all in one.
My hands are covered in it, but I'm like
also having fun, it's very strange.
Is it weird if I just eat this like this?
No, okay.
- [Man] I think that's the only way to do it.
- Okay.
Oh my god.
Stop it.
Stop it. You don't have to chew that.
It just like...
You don't have to chew this at all
it just disintegrates in your mouth.
Oh, this is good.
It's the airiest thing that I've ever eaten.
This is wild.
It's so light and squishy.
This is food.
This isn't play doh, this is food.
That's nuts.