By Brett Callwood
Tucked into S. Western Avenue, Oncle’s Cafe only opened in 2022 but it has quickly established itself as one of Gardena’s most unique, imaginative and impressive purveyors of desserts.
According to an online bio, the mission of Oncle’s Cafe was to, “create a space where people of all ages can come together to create shared memories and embrace cultural differences without barrier. Oncle’s Cake Shop is a cake and coffee brand, aiming to provide well-crafted, Korean inspired tiramisu and pudding-based cakes alongside a selection of specialty coffee and tea. Oncle’s Cake Shop blends the flavors of Korea and Italy to create a unique taste experience. Our cakes are expertly crafted using only the finest, freshest ingredients, including premium coffee beans, quality mascarpone cheese, and traditional Korean flavors such as red bean and matcha.”
That blend of cultures is what makes Oncle’s Cafe so thrilling. Korean takes on desserts traditionally considered European or American is the sort of fusion that we can really get onboard with, and Oncle’s Cafe certainly delivers.
We tried two of their desserts, and even that took some superhuman level of self-control. Everything behind the glass looked amazing. The drinks looked great too, including their take on a German espresso, or einspanner.
In the end, we opted for the Red Velvet Crepe Cake. In essence, this is a traditional red velvet cake, but rather than the “cake” part being soft sponge, it’s composed of layered crepes. This is something that we’ve never heard of, or even considered, before but it works wonderfully well.
Each separate crepe is coated in a red velvet cream, so the cake is much wetter, much more like a pudding, than a regular red velvet cake. It’s both startlingly different and comfortingly familiar, at the same time. More importantly, it’s delicious. Every bite feels like a decadent treat.
Even better is their Banana Pudding. Served in a cup, and not a clear cup, the result is that each bite is a mystery, especially if you’re eating it for the first time.
This isn’t as much of a radical departure to the traditional as the Red Velvet, but it’s just so good. The rich pudding, cake pieces and light cream all blend beautifully. We don’t know what they did to make a simple banana pudding taste this good, but they should keep doing it.
Oncle’s Cafe is located at 15435 S. Western Ave., Ste.116, Gardena 90249. Call 310-756-6256.
