Inspired by the Hokkaido Cheese in Japan, Pinklady Cheese Tart is a new Chinatown small business selling creamy cheese tarts located at 11 Mott Street.
You might be unfamiliar with the Hokkaido cheese tarts that Pinklady is inspired by. Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese island, has a massive countryside that can support a successful dairy industry. According to japan-guide.com, the island produceās half of Japanās milk, and their dairy products are highly regarded across the country. The tarts supposedly originated in a bakery in Hokkaidoās capital of Sapporo, obviously using those quality dairy products. Hokkaido is one of my top bucket-list destinations, not only for the food, but for the nature (flowers, volcanoes, etc.), hot springs, skiing, and so much more.
These cheese tarts should not be confused with the popular Hong Kong egg tarts or Portuguese/Macanese pastƩis de nata, as those tarts are filled with a silky sweet custard, while cheese tarts are made with oozy cheese mousse. The crusts on the other two are typically puff pastry-like, while cheese tart shells are more comparable to a cookie.
My first experience with a cheese tart was in Taiwan, where I tried a boba-filled one - if you know me, you know I love boba on anything and everything. Although the boba added a chewy texture, it was the cheese itself that really stood out. Since then, Iāve been on the look out for a cheese tart near me. When I saw this post by @jeaniuseats, I was ECSTATIC!! The location of Pinklady was perfect, as my dad and I stop by Mott Street almost monthly, so I made it a target stop on our next trip.
Pinklady may not be the first cheese tart in Manhattan, but they are one of the only NYC businesses really specializing in cheese tarts. They only sell two products, one being their array of tarts, and the other being their housemade rice yogurt drinks, which Iāve heard lovely things about too.
The storeās giant yellow sign sticks out like a sore thumb on Chinatownās āunofficial Main Streetā thatās decorated with the lucky Chinese color of red all over. Thereās no seating inside, which I wouldnāt expect to change after the pandemic, given the storeās small space. Thereās a few back-of-the-house staff, but itās been one person taking my order and packing it up the two times Iāve been there.
Let me start off by saying the staff there are so friendly - they really care about making sure you know all the temperatures you can enjoy your tarts at (more on that later) and just making you feel like a human, which is not always an easy find at bakeries and restaurants.
Upon entrance, youāll see that there are āsneeze guardā dividers to protect the tarts from any customers (who must wear a mask inside too), and the tarts are lined up on Silpats and plastic trays. They currently offer five flavors of original cheese, matcha, ube (purple yam), chocolate, and strawberry-filled chocolate. Iāve tried all but the chocolate one, since Iām not the biggest fan of chocolate (Iām prepared to get some hate mailā¦). My favorite is the matcha, because the matcha accompanies the cheese perfectly, but you really canāt go wrong with any of them.
Now, about those temperatures I was talking about, there are four ways to enjoy these tarts. Itās almost like four different dessert types that range from firm + cheesecake-like to molten lava tarts. Putting the tart in the fridge will make the flowy inside firm up like a cheesecake, while putting it in the oven / air-fryer will make the inside hot and ooze of lava cheese. The other two ways are the most similar, which are just warming the tarts up in the microwave and eating it plain-Jane room temperature. My personal favorite is room-temperature, because I still get a slightly flowy inside while the tart retains a cheesecake-esque texture on the outer parts of the filling, but even just the versatility of how this dessert can be consumed is so unique.
While I do love myself a flaky HK egg tart crust, Pinklady double bakes their tart shells, making for a crispier, slightly toasted tartlet.
I was beyond satisfied with my stop at Pinklady. My dad and I fought over the last cheese tart, because theyāre just that good (we ended up splitting it). Opening at the peak of the pandemic in April is no easy feat, and although there are many old staples in Chinatown that deserve an equal amount of appreciation, Pinklady is a great addition to an already fantastic, robust neighborhood dessert scene. Be sure to pay a visit at your next stop in Chinatown!
See you soon,
Carissa š