Okashi Gaku Japanese Vending Machine Desserts - Strawberry Shortcake and Custard Pudding

By now, vending machine cakes aren't that new even in Singapore anymore, and maybe not in Asia. But when it first came out, I was curious to understand the concept as a business idea... Was the taste comparable to what you could get at a cafe? Was it logistically and operationally leaner than other distribution channels? Could they really deliver value in terms of how much they charged for the quality? 

So when Okashi Gaku landed in Singapore in late 2022, I did a survey on 2 of its more classic offerings - the Strawberry Shortcake and the Custard Pudding.

This was the machine at Suntec City, although they no longer have one there... The updated list is on their website.

First, the strawberry shortcake. It cost a whopping S$11.80 even back in 2022, despite not having any space for you to sit down and dine. This is around 75% more to double the price I can get it at from Chateraise. Nor was there any nice takeaway bag or packaging. They just had some plastic spoons that any passerby could help oneself to. 

Visually, it is a work of art. Very pretty and Instagram-able. And later, I'll explain that they probably put some time and effort into orchestrating the visuals, albeit at the expense of the food value. 

Tastewise, unfortunately, I didn't think it fared very well. The much cheaper (and IMO equally pretty) alternative of Chateraise was somewhat better in terms of the freshness of the strawberries and the cream. It makes me wonder how long my cake had been waiting for me in the vending machine. 

Furthermore, those fancy strawberries you see in the picture were just very thin slices!!! So there might have been a maximum of 1 whole strawberry or less inside the entire $11.80 cake. 

BUT they did have some added strawberry compote that was fresh-ish inside, with whole strawberries used for the compote. So that enhanced the flavor overall. 

And there was a sprinkling of candied nuts for some texture. Although I personally felt that it adulterated the authenticity of Hokkaido fresh cream strawberry shortcake, which should be soft and fluffy all the way. 

Nonetheless, for the visual art, it felt like you needed it to be manually arranged, so it probably had to be done before the can was sealed. From observing the can, and it seems like they might have some kind of sealing technology with which they seal it after the personnel has arranged the ingredients.

I also tried the custard pudding, which was in an opaque can. It suffered a dent while being dispensed. =( Tastewise it was nothing spectacular, just normal pudding you can get in a supermarket IMO. S$5.80 back then, so also 70-100% more expensive than alternatives. 

The novelty was the can sealing technology. Check out how smooth it is inside the can. So they probably steam it inside the can first then seal the top after, I'm guessing.

I wonder if they could also do this for bubble tea ahahaha. Although, it would be even more wasteful environmentally than current bubble tea packaging already is.

So my verdict is... If you want pure quality, go for Chateraise for great value, or even other brands. But if you're looking for an interesting gift or conversation starter, it would be an excellent choice, IF your can is lucky enough not to get dented during the drop. I don't suppose you could use this idea too many times though. You would need to keep it refrigerated too. So overall, I don't think it's a great idea hahaha. They should at least pad the spot where the can lands for this to be viable as a gift... Otherwise, it feels more like a gimmick to me after the initial fun.