Fourth Time Lucky At Pablo
Pablo opened its door in Thailand on 27 Oct 2016, and I have been waiting patiently for the hype to die down. So, is it really “the most famous cheese tart from Japan?” Asking two Japanese friends who were in town last month, no, they are not aware of this brand. Perhaps because my friends are from Hokkaido and Tokyo, and Pablo is more of an Osaka-thing … I’ve got no idea, but I can only guess so …
Altogether, there were 4 visits for the elusive cheese tarts, whenever I happened to be at the Siam vicinity.
Pablo Take 1. Oct 21. Early birds get no cheese tart, for they are still not opened for business yet.
Pablo Take 2. Dec 2, 4.30pm. Long, loooong queue, too long for my ‘queue-threshold.’
But at least, I got a ‘whiff’ of the menu.
Pablo Take 3. Dec 15, 5.30pm. No queue, but Pablo Mini is already sold out. Boo hoo hooo
Pablo Take 4. Dec 23, 1pm. I got it, got it … short queue and the Pablo Mini is still available!
While queuing, I watched the staff in action. Lucky folks …I want their cheesy job!
I queued up without knowing that there’s a purchase limit. At cashier, I was told that each customer is only allowed to purchase up to 6 pieces. So yes, I queued twice …
First queue: Queued for around 10 minutes. I bought six pieces of Pablo Mini for bf’s office, and lucky-me was permitted to get all 6 pieces of Original flavor! Sometimes, my half-baked Thai language works to my advantage … Thai staff sometimes choose to just give in, instead of trying to get me to comprehend that it has to be mixed flavors between Original and Matcha.
Btw, PABLO Mini is bite size (6.5 cm width), and is covered with egg yolk before baking to golden brown perfection. Original variant costs 75 baht vs 185 yen = 57 baht In Japan, and the matcha one costs 90 baht vs 213 yen = 65 baht In Japan.
And I decided to try their Cheese Soft Serve Ice Cream (90 baht). There is a dine-in area, perfect for that little break.
By the time I finished my ice cream, a long queue had formed around 2pm. Dang!
Second queue: Queued for around 20 minutes for two pieces of mini cheese tarts for bf and me.
It was good that I didn’t have any inklings of the cute PABLO gesture prior to my visit. Very cute action, and they say “Have a nice day” after the PABLO gesture.
So … the million dollar question: is it worth the queue?
I have not tried the original ones in Japan; can’t comment on authenticity
Now that I have tried almost all the cheese tart brands, I must say that there are only 2 brands really worth queuing for:
BAKE, if you like thick-cheesy-cheese kind of texture.
Pablo, if you are into cheese, but not a cheese fanatic. People described it as more pudding-ish kind of texture.
I actually enjoyed Pablo’s Cheese Soft Serve Ice Cream more than the tart itself. Savory ice cream rocks my socks! Cheese in ice cream, genius!
I despise queuing for food, unless if it’s for something really awesome. But sometimes, there are exceptions. And oh boy, ain’t am I glad that I made an exception for Pablo Thailand.
And if you really want to try it, but do not want to queue … you can always hire runner, or motorsai rab jang!
Update Apr 2017:
On a weekday 4pm, there ain’t any queue. But the mini original tart is sold out, although other variants such as matcha, chocolate are still available.
I bought a Regular Cheese Tart (415 baht), and cut a slice for a friend to try at their cafe. Not impressed. I brought the remaining tart home, and bf wasn’t impressed neither. Staff advised that the tart can be kept up to 3 days in fridge.
I also tried their Frute Cheese Tart (150 baht), and I think the drink is too OTT. Once is enough for me.
Pablo – Siam Paragon
Ground Floor, Siam Paragon, 991/1 Rama 1 Rd., Bangkok (same area as Ben & Jerry’s, Au Bon Pain)
Tel: 063-171-4292
Website: http://pablothailand.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PABLOCheesetartThailand/
