After a long day of shopping and movie-watching at Tyler Mall, take a moment to sit back, relax and indulge in some dessert goodness (it’ll balance out the large bucket of popcorn that you demolished after watching “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”). A plethora of restaurants around the area offer food ranging from spicy barbecue, mouth-watering tacos or even a good ol’ burger. But none have the sweetness you desire. Fortunately as you walk around a bit more, you come face to face with Uncle Fluffy’s.
Inside, you are met with a very minimalistic room – with its blindingly white walls, you might expect to be reminded of a hospital, but it is much cozier than expected thanks to the well-lit interior and yellow accents. A long table sits in the middle of the room, the perfect place to come study with your friends. And behold! At the press of a button, a charging station pops up on the table! And to top it all off, free Wi-Fi.
And now, the moment we all have been waiting for. Three of the most highly accredited food critics from The Highlander Newspaper will provide their comments on three tarts, three drinks, and of course, the original Uncle Fluffy cheesecake.
TARTS
The tarts were a sight to behold, each packaged in a little box embellished with the Uncle Fluffy’s logo. The three tarts, cheese, espresso, and strawberry, all lined up like Neapolitan ice cream, perfectly circular crusts filled with creamy dollops of tart almost too delicious to take a bite. In the bright light, the pink one almost seems to sparkle, though one critic believes that it might just be a little moist and instead have perspiration.
Cheese Tart: Through general consensus, we come to the conclusion that the crust is very soft, almost like a butter cookie and not at all a graham cracker consistency like other past tarts we’ve tried. The creamy consistency of the tart is very mild in comparison. There’s a good balance of flavors and depth that make it the dictionary definition of a perfect tart. The overall rating given to this tart was a 4.7/5, as one critic states that they have baked a better tart than this before.
Espresso Tart: The espresso flavor in this one is very subtle, not overpowering the rest of the desert. It still manages to have that custard flavor that all the tarts have and is similar to the cheese tart in texture (which we unanimously agree is a good thing). Overall, the espresso tart was a solid 5/5 by all, and perhaps the kick of caffeine is what we needed to continue our reviewing journey onward.
Strawberry Tart: The first thing of note is the fact that the strawberry tart is made out of real strawberries! One critic reminisces that it tastes more like strawberry ice cream, while another states it reminds them of licking strawberry cream cheese off of a spoon as a child. A berry special treat that we give a 4.7/5.
DRINKS
The drinks lined up one by one held a stark difference from one another. The iced toffee latte looked very much like a regular iced coffee, the peppermint tea was hidden by an opaque cup, and the mango swirl could have easily given someone a headache. It was achingly yellow with whipped cream and a drizzle, one would not be surprised if it tasted like plain sugar.
Iced Toffee Latte: The latte did not disappoint; it had a strong, non-bitter coffee flavor with a hint of toffee. We stood in unity in appreciating the fact that the sweetness was more subtle and did not overpower the java at all. The overall rating for this drink was a 4/5, garnering a lower score for various reasons ranging from needing more toffee flavor to plain ol’ personal taste.
Peppermint Tea: Warning: This tea was hot! But the perfect treat for a cold winter day or if you’re feeling a bit under the weather. There’s not a lot you can do with peppermint tea, so it’s good for what it is. Unfortunately, one critic just does not like peppermint in general and commented that it smells and tastes like toothpaste. Because the drink was so hot, another critic remarked that they lost some taste buds on their first sip. The overall rating for the tea was a 4/5 because, despite personal preferences, it’s a pretty solid tea.
Mango Swirl: Now, this is one very, very sweet drink. It has a bit of a creamy, artificial mango taste to it and could be classified more as a fruity kids’ drink; this could be great for someone who isn’t feeling up for a coffee or tea, but it wasn’t for us. If the sugary treats that are offered aren’t enough dessert for you, then give this a try because it is hands down the sweetest thing that we tasted today! We do have to give it a 3.7/5 because no one really felt like washing down their tart with a drink sweeter than it.
ORIGINAL MR. FLUFFY’S CHEESECAKE
Last but not least, the star of the show…the original Mr. Fluffy’s Cheesecake! Upon opening the box, we were pleased with the sight before us. It was rotund, about two inches tall and looked absolutely delicious. And on the top of the little cheesecake, there was a little imprint of the Uncle Fluffy’s logo.
Cheesecake: Once again, Uncle Fluffy’s is bringing the fluff. This one is a Japanese cheesecake, so it’s a lot more souffle-like than a regular custard cheesecake. It’s very airy, not overly sweet and the flavor balance is very good. We could’ve sworn that there is actual custard in the cheesecake, but turns out there is none! It’s just that soft and delectable, so we gave it an overall rating of 5/5.
