A trip to West Edmonton Mall can be a marathon. And if you're like me, sometimes you need a little sweet treat to replenish your energy. So where to go? Look no further than Castella Cheesecake, the new dessert shop in Phase I of the mall.
Castella Cheesecake originally hails from Vancouver. Edmonton is their second Alberta expansion following behind Calgary in Chinook Mall.
Castella Cheesecake took over the kiosk that was occupied most recently by Ayco Bakery. Ayco still has a cafe downtown, but man, I'm going to miss having a little croissant break in the middle of shopping. You feel me?
In terms of landmarks, Castella is right below the escalator outside of Hudson's Bay on the first floor. It's in the middle of the mall but they do have seating! There's a handful of tables located just around the perimeter.
Castella Cheesecake has a relatively small menu of treats. Cheese tarts, Japanese souffle cheesecake, basque cheesecake, tiramisu, and cream croissants. I've yet to try anything else besides the cheese tarts but I'm sure it won't take long to go through the menu.
An order of 6 cheese tarts ($24.00) gives you the best value for your money versus paying $4.95 for a single. I don't think the cheese tarts are baked on premises but they do sit on a warming tray so they're still warm when you receive them.
I was first acquainted with Castella's cheese tarts on my last trip to Vancouver. I tried one from a random bubble tea stall in the Aberdeen Centre food court. It was chilled so I don't think I had them at their best. You must try them warm!
When they're warm, the cheese tarts are still molten and gooey on the inside. Smooth and velvety, the filling is rich, creamy, lightly tangy, and not too sweet. The crust is flaky and buttery like a shortbread cookie. Firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to just crumble apart when you take a bite.
If you do have enough self-control for the tarts to cool, the filling ends up being more set, especially if you refrigerate them. Same flavour but more of a firm cheesecake texture.
Glad to have more unique dessert options in WEM!
Castella Cheesecake (WEM)
8882 170 St NW #1085
Edmonton, AB
(587) 520-1071
- CT
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