Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart

Overview

We know. We've all done it. Home alone with a block of cheddar, a few scraps of brie and a lone Kraft Single. It all seemed so promising. When your mum/housemate/significant other returned, though, the truth became apparent. You'd made a cheese quagmire in your microwave, hadn't you? Hadn't you.

Fortunately, the guys behind PappaRich, the ST Group, have been helping us realise all of our cheese dreams without the weird kitchen smell three weeks later — bringing Malaysian chain Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart to Australia. With multiple stores in Kuala Lumpur and other areas of the country, the cheese tart connoisseurs currently have five across Victoria, one in Sydney's World Square. Now, they're opening two more Sydney stores, launching one within Macquarie Centre on June 16 and a Burwood store inside Westfield opening Saturday, July 8.

Their namesake is the cornerstone of their offering: a savoury-sweet three-cheese situation encased in a shortcrust shell, designed to be eaten either hot or cold. The cheese, while made with local produce, is based on the distinct taste and texture of the dairy products of Hokkaido. The Japanese island is known for their dairy — it produces half of Japan's total milk and a huge 90 percent of their natural cheese — and HBCT have worked tirelessly to replicate it. Malaysia has gone nuts for it, and Australia has jumped firmly on board —people have been queuing out the door to get their hands on one (or 12).