Otera

Otera, an author pastry shop specializing in umami desserts in Hong Kong

Otera is a Hong Kong-based pastry shop that presents itself as a dessert destination specializing in umami flavors, where sweet meets savory and sugar is treated as a spice to be sprinkled sparingly. The name, in Japanese, means "a temple," and the brand links it to the idea of harmony and the selection of one's own thoughts. The company describes itself as the first brand to debut the concept of umami-inspired desserts.

Its offering is built around the sale of whole cakes and tarts, along with a line of seasonal pastries, with home delivery service. The catalog is organized into sections such as House, Signature, Shop, Dessert Tasting, Brand Partnerships and Wedding, indicating that the firm handles both individual orders and commissions for events and brand collaborations.

Cake and tart catalog

The main offering consists of 6-inch (15 cm) cakes, made with specific ingredients and flavor profiles that combine sweetness with salty or fermented notes. Featured creations in the catalog include:

• Fermented Tofu Flan Cake: flan with fermented tofu and Yotsuba Farm dairy, with savory notes that balance the sweetness in the aftertaste.
• Signature Soy Sauce Caramel Flan Cake: flan with soy sauce from Kowloon Soy Co. Ltd. and Yotsuba Farm dairy from Hokkaido, which add creaminess to the custard and umami to the caramel.
• Banana Whiskey Flan Cake with Toasted Walnut: a refined version of banana foster, with malt whiskey, Normandy cream, toasted walnut and salted banana.
• Purple Ume Mochi Sponge Cake (seasonal): sponge cake with purple ume nectar from in-house fermentation, silken tofu, mochi with shiso and notes of stone fruits.
• Salted Pandan and Lemongrass Flan Cake: pandan mousse with aged extract, lemongrass and sea salt.
• Sansho Wampi Yuzu Sponge Cake (August only): sponge cake with fresh sansho pepper from Nagano, Hong Kong wampi and Kochi yuzu.
• Passionfruit Sponge Cake: passionfruit flan with cognac Chantilly cream, citrus sponge and fresh orange slices.

Most of these cakes have limited availability of 10 units per day, except for the Purple Ume Mochi, limited to 5 units on selected days. All include declared allergens (dairy, eggs, nuts, gluten and, in some cases, alcohol).

Seasonal pastries and gift formats

In addition to the cakes, Otera sells seasonal products and formats designed for gifting or celebrations:

• Brewer's Selection Sake Kasu Custard Mooncakes (9 units): mooncakes with sake kasu hand-selected by chef Joanna Yuen at a historic distillery founded in 1696, salted egg yolk and Hokkaido eggs, on a butter cookie base. They are available without sake kasu for children upon request to customer service.
• Signature Miso Chocolate Cookie (12 units): cookies with shiro miso, 85% dark chocolate and Japanese flour, with a contrast between tannins and umami.
• Moon Puffs with 30-year aged chenpi and red bean: thousand-layer puff pastry filled with 30-year aged chenpi and Tianjin red bean, baked on the day of pickup.

The products are presented without preservatives and with specific storage instructions: the miso and chocolate cookies should be consumed on the day of opening and kept in the freezer for a maximum of 14 days; the sake kasu mooncakes keep for up to 14 days in the refrigerator or 30 days in the freezer; the moon puffs should be consumed on the day of pickup.

Ingredients and approach to production

The company emphasizes the origin and handling of its ingredients. It uses Yotsuba Farm dairy (Hokkaido), Kowloon Soy Co. Ltd. soy sauce, Nagano sansho pepper, Kochi yuzu, Hong Kong wampi, 30-year aged chenpi and Tianjin red bean. It also uses in-house fermentations, such as purple ume nectar, and techniques such as curing egg yolks with sake kasu. Chef Joanna Yuen personally selected the sake kasu at a historic distillery, a process the brand links to the Japanese concept of mottainai and the use of byproducts from sake production.

Services for events and collaborations

The site includes sections dedicated to Brand Partnerships and Wedding, indicating that Otera handles commissions for weddings and brand collaborations, in addition to direct sales through its online shop. The company also offers dessert tastings (Dessert Tasting) as part of its offering.

Delivery and orders

The firm sells its products by advance order with selection of delivery or pickup date, and offers home delivery service, according to its own description. For inquiries about children's versions of some products, such as the mooncakes without sake kasu or the passionfruit cake with the cognac on the side, the company provides a contact number for its customer service.