Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake, Robson Street

The storefront on Robson Street displays a constant, winding queue of people waiting for a single, wobbly cake. Inside, workers pull trays of golden, soufflé-style cheesecakes from the oven, ringing a loud bell each time a fresh batch is ready. Tetsushi Mizokami opened his first shop in Fukuoka, Japan, in nineteen ninety, focusing entirely on this light, jiggly recipe. The Vancouver location brought that specific, narrow menu across the Pacific, relying on that ringing bell to signal the arrival of another warm round.