Food: Cheesecake Melliza Caramel Walnut and Oreo Cheesecake

I love Cheesecake. It is the only dessert that I have a craving for; the only dessert that I won't probably get tired of eating. So expect that this will be the start of the many reviews that I will make on my favorite dessert. The idea is to create a series of posts, reviewing different cheesecake brands, and maybe picking out the bests (I'm sure there won't be only one) among them. And first on the list is Cheesecake Melliza's Caramel Walnut and Oreo Cheesecake.

Cheesecake Melliza is not my first cheesecake, but it is the first that I took photos of, hence being the first to be reviewed.

During those monthly prenatal check-ups, we (husband and I) would always wind up at the nearest mall, Robinsons Place Ermita. That's where I saw a stall selling various Cheesecake Melliza baked goodies. They have different cheesecake toppings, and I remember standing in front of the booth for a long time, having a hard time choosing which to get. They all looked delish.





Finally, I opted to try the Caramel Walnut Cheesecake. At the time, I had a standing craving for a Walnut Muffin from Countrystyle Donuts and thought that this is a much better fix. And it was. I wasn't able to take a picture of the cheesecake because I already ate it on the way home. I couldn't resist. I said I'll just take a small bite but I loved the caramel walnut topping so much and finished the whole slice in minutes. The chunks of walnut melded well with just the right amount of sweetness of the caramel sauce that added a nice crunchy texture and rich nutty caramel taste to the cheesecake.

My second Cheesecake Melliza is an Oreo Cheesecake. Being pregnant did not allow me to indulge in sweet foods, so it took a while before I bought another one. But this time, I was able to restrain myself from eating the cheesecake until we got home. So I have a picture:

As you can see, it is topped with a thin mantle of Oreo cookie crumbs and bedded on the same cookie crumbs formed as a soft crust. If you've eaten an Oreo cookie, which is most likely, then you already have an idea of the taste that goes with the cheesecake.

The cookie-crumb-crust was a surprise though. Normally, crust are firm, but this one was soft enough to become a topping. Aside from the Oreo cookies, I'm not sure exactly what it's made up of  (perhaps some butter, sugar) but the blend was really good. So good that I enjoyed eating it more than the cheesecake itself.

Which brings me to the body of the cake. If I were to eat a plain cheesecake, I like it to be more on the cheesy side rather than sweet. More so if it's topped with another sweet item.

Cheesecake Melliza's cheesecake are good and both the two toppings that I've tried go well with the cake. But I find the actual cheesecake just a little too sweet for my preference and not as rich as I would like. I thought there's not enough hint of the cheese (or cream cheese), which I think, if there was, would make an interesting combination, especially with the walnut caramel topping.

I also would've wanted for the texture to be a tad bit firmer and smoother - firm in form but smooth, almost spreadable, in texture. If the consistency were heavier and more dense rather than fluffy (looking at the picture, it kinda resemble a sponge cake), I would've enjoyed it a lot better.

But for P85 a slice, I'm not complaining. Although relatively cheaper than other cheesecake brands, it doesn't mean that they are inferior in taste and quality. Between the two 'flavors', I like the Caramel Walnut version better than the Oreo-topped. And if there is a branch or a stall near us, I'd definitely purchase again and try out their other pastries as well. The cheesecake choco-coated bites look very tempting.