Cheese Garden, the Village at Pacific HIghlands Ranch, San Diego

 It's called Cheese Garden, but it is more like a dessert garden.  I stopped in for a soft-serve ice cream in a fish-shaped cone.  I had the matcha swirled with milk.  I love this style of ice cream, because it is very smooth, soft and not overly sweet.  I especially like matcha, because the grassy matcha is a good balance with milk.  The cone is crisp on the outside and very tender in the middle.  It has the texture of a crisp pancake.  It can come with a filling or topping.  The options at Cheese Garden were nutella, sweet red bean and custard.  I chose the custard.  I always get my ice cream upside-down in a bowl with the cone on top, because the cone is often served warm.  In addition to ice cream, they have boba.

Their specialty is Japan-style cheese cakes.  This style tends to be lighter, creamier and less sweet than American-style cheese cakes.  I haven't had the cheese cake yet.  TBH, two weeks ago, I bought a matcha tiramisu.  It was so great, I ate about half in the car before I got home and I forgot to take a picture.

Cheese Garden is an excellent addition to the Highlands Plaza.  It is next to Bonchon Chicken, which doesn't have much of a selection of desserts.  I'm thrilled Cheese Garden is nearby.  I love the ice cream and the cheese cakes are the perfect thing to take home or to a party for a treat.