The Motto Tea Cafe is, judging from the photo, using a Zojirushi electric griddle to cook these on. What a fascinating choice, and also likely not approved for a commercial kitchen.
2
That people voluntarily get into a long line and then complain about the wait perfectly illustrates the foodie thought process. If there actually is such a thing...
Here's a thought, why don't you get into the line and then convince someone leaving with their order to let you take a selfie with it? That way you can accurately claim that you were there, documented it and it didn't cost you a dime!
Later on you can condescendingly state that you don't see what the fuss is all about and won't be going back.
5
@Lou Good I think I love you. Page can be proud of you.
We were living in Japan a few years ago and were never into these pancakes, too many calories and not enough surface area for the syrup!
Crayon Shin-chan is fascinating, however! He's a little boy with the mind of an old pervert, constantly peeking up the skirts of his mother's friends. In the US, they show it on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" and say it is not for children, but in Japan kids all watch it and love it—our son's preschool teacher often wore an apron with Crayon on it. It's probably the first step towards grown men who grab women on trains...
Enjoy that pancake!
1
Oh, how I wish these could be found in FL!! Tampa anyone??
Whack it
after you stack it
and pack in the pounds
souffle pancakes sound
like several rounds of infarcts
in spongy layers to make a mound
of necrotic tissue
from what used to be
your kidneys, brain or heart.
Refrain from standing in line
to dine on your own demise.
Usha Nellore.
1
@Usha Srinivasan
Hilarious and quite true if you overindulge! However, it won't stop me from eating these as a treat.
My mother always separated the eggs (lots) and whipped the whites (no sugar) to soft peaks before gently folding them into the mildly soured batter (a multi-step process involving lightening the batter with an initial portion of whites stirred in with a whisk, then the remaining 2/3ds folded in with a spatula - think souffe). She then cooked them in butter on a heavy griddle, flipped when the tops showed many bubbles. The result was that each pancake was a perfect amalgam of crispy edge lines and a cloud-like sponge.
It was what she had learned as a girl.
7
@ Shirokuma Toyama April 11
You criticized my comment about the traditional use of chopsticks and knife hidden in a folding fan at a table in Japan by a jocular statement, "I suspect Mr. Xyz may have not eaten in Japan since around the Edo period".
Like Saint Sebastian, I am always ready to bear my bosom to the piercing arrows of all reasonable critique -- repeat, reasonable.
And this is what I like most about Food Section: the relatively small number (in comparison to Political Opinions) of comments keeps the discussions and readers' exchanges lively.
Your suspicion of my not having recently eaten in Japan is correct, Shirokuma-sama.
2
@Tuvw Xyz I see that you are erudite. Now you can relax. But, I teach writing and my credo (and that of many other writing teachers) is less is more. Try it sometime.
i've got my 25th trip to france coming up later this year.
from april 1993 to april 2012 i lived in sakai, osaka and nara--japan's first capital--which are all part of the kansai area. kobe and kyoto are also part of kansai.
that area considered itself the food capital as well as the cradle of japan.
i spent 35% of my time there--much of it with my late wife who was japanese.
the japanese make the french look like a nation of mcdonald's lovers.
total obsession with food.
when jacques chirac was president of france, he seemed to be in japan as often as he was in france.
i read he'd visited there 68 times tho not only as president.
some japanese told me he had a japanese family.
11
Are Japanese making pancakes a cultural appropriation? Where are pancakes from?
12
A lot of cultures have a history of making their own version if pancakes. Including the Japanese. So it's very unlikely to be cultural appropriation.
2
I wish they were vegan.
1
@anna magnani
You can probably veganize them. There are semi-appropriate substitutes. You might have to experiment some and they may not be as tall. But Chick Pea liquid is your friend. Also ferment the batter.
There are discussions out there on how to do it. Google.
You should also be able to make gluten-free versions since the height is provided by the egg whites. I'm not sure that I see gluten-free/vegan soufflé pancakes tho. But given my food allergies, I might try to develop them.
1
I just made a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free version with aquafaba. They are light, silky and lovely!
1
This year's cupcake.
8
I’m dying to know if it’s possible to make these with a gluten free flour. They look SO good!
1
@Melissa Daykin Cassill
You should since the height is provided by the egg whites. If you can't have eggs, try chick pea liquid. It whips like eggs whites. Most people who are allergic to eggs have their allergens in the whites.
https://minimalistbaker.com/a-guide-to-aquafaba/
@Melissa Daykin Cassill I guessing that almond flour would make it very macaroon like . . . Or any of the nut flours . . . Would be very fun with Passover coming too!
1
But have they seen or had the dutch baby pancake, also affectionately known as dutch baby bunnies?
Let's all agree that anything that goes with maple syrup must be good.
27
@David W. Dutch Babies are the pinnacle of pancakes - especially with raspberries and real whipped cream.
There are a lot of videos on youtube for making "jiggly cakes," which are a lot like these. Very mesmerizing to watch the process and the final product. I followed one of the video recipes, and it was really good and amusing to eat. I would gladly pay for someone else to go through all the work to make these fluffy jiggly pancakes for me to eat.
10
So much for counting carbs and calories. Maybe the idea is to buy one stack and share.. a whole family can eat! Or perhaps the idea is to buy a stack and not eat the rest of the week ..or month...depending on your metabolism !!
3
I wonder how many calories?
4
Welp, this made me hungry.
8
“They’re more into regular pancakes now" Lol!
7
Pancakes are pancakes, no matter how you decorate them. Much like the old saying, "No matter how you dress it, a pig is still a pig at the end of the day".
5
so, it is essentially sponge cake cooked on a griddle.
13
I live in Tokyo - people still very much like pancakes here. Places like Happy Pancake always have lines, even during off hours.
8
@Brian B
"Happy Pancake"? At a place like that, I'd be a very happy pancake eater! :)
About a decade ago, Japan went wild for "Hawaiian" pancakes, oblivious to the fact that most local people eat more Spam, eggs and rice for breakfast than they do pancakes. These fluffy hotcakes, usually topped with gloppy guava or macadamia nut sauce and towers of whipped cream, stirred up a frenzy--causing long lines at the small, very local restaurants that served them outside of Honolulu, but giving the proprietors an opportunity to license their names and menus to Japanese restaurant groups which quickly replicated the model across the country. Unfortunately, most of those (licensed) imitations may have scored big on the pancake-popularity scale, but they were missing the one ingredient that made their original locations so popular with locals--the aloha spirit.
9
@Shirokuma I remember that! In 2013, my partner and I were walking through Harajuku and saw a long line of people. Curious, we followed the line, which seemed to go on forever and consisted primarily of young women staring at their phones. What was it? A new store opening? A personal appearance of a pop music star? When we got to the front of the line, it was at....an Eggs 'n' Things, the marvelous breakfast place from Honolulu. I laughed out loud, snapped a photo to send to a friend in Hawaii, and off we went, in search of a more authentic Japanese lunch.
9
Gram opened a branch here at the mall Siam Paragon. Lines aren’t that long, but the cake, filled with milk cream, is pretty gosh-darned tasty.
And standing in line isn’t really that much of a burden if what you get at the end is super tasty.
10
I'm getting seriously turned off by the increased proliferance of sheeple (and for some reason, it seems to afflict Asians of a certain age/demographic, more than others) who flock to an establishment, simply because it is 'trending'. Mind you, the food or experience may not even be that great, but for many people now, it's simply for the fleeting chance to 'document' their 'experience' on social media.
When I pass by certain establishments in NYC, and see lines of people waiting to get in, I just have to chuckle.
54
@Lisa- so right on! you should read some of my posts whenever i see or hear about what the "trend" is today. It even includes people. Sadly, Nipsey Hussle is the current trend. Prior to his death, not one major national news outlet whether print or over-the air, did a story about him. Yet suddendly when he's killed, he's a hero, a star that everyone's been raving about. Whether, food, fashion or a person, Public relations companies, phony press corps, will find another way to lead "Sheep" or "sheeple" as you call it over a cliff, removng every last penny from them before the fall. Btw: nice coinag eof the phrase, "sheeple".
7
@Lisa and elsewhere in the Times there is an article about taking a break from the digital world.
6
@lou andrews
The term "sheeple" has been in use for decades.
18
Stand in line like cattle because it's trendy, and some people like being led around by the nose...even for pancakes. More time, and money as I'm sure they are ridiculously-priced, than any semblance of sense. But it keeps their little minds busy, bless their hearts.
42
@Aaron Taylor - I remember when we mocked the old Soviet Union over their people waiting in long queues for the most basic of items. It is rather bizarre, in my opinion, for people to wait hours in long queues for the most basic of items simply because they are trendy. And I thought children were suckers for peer pressure!
4
Looks and sounds lovely. Thankfully for those of us living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have Bette's Oceanview Diner. The diner was opened in Berkeley in 1982 and serves basic breakfast and lunch fare with extremely fresh ingredients. There are standard dishes served with a twist and plenty of good house made desserts. They serve up a delicious l pancake souffle, light and fluffy in four delicious flavors. Banana Rum , Apple Brandy, Seasonal Fruit and Chocolate Swirl. Partaking of one of these souffles is akin to swallowing light, velvety sunshine. They are a taste of heaven. if you're in the area treat yourself to a simple to sumptuous breakfast or lunch, drop some coin in the Seeburg juke box where the 45's are faithfully rotated by Chris and let Bette's staff, some who have been dishing up good food and friendly service for 25 plus years, treat you right. Unfortunately Bette passed away in 2017 but her husband Manfred and daughter Lucie are still very involved in this family run Berkeley institution. Long time employees Darryl, Ed, Vince and Trudy help to keep the feel good vibe alive and it seems like just yesterday when Bette, Manfred and Sue Conley opened the place and had the good sense to hire Jennifer Fisher and James Demma, who became legendary diner manager superstars. Two and three generations of local families have been making their way here since 1982. Some of the staff at Bette's have opened other Bay Area eateries including Stella Nonna & Rick & Ann's.
30
@Ethel Bette's is also the place, years ago, where a waitress objected to a customer reading a Playboy magazine at his table and the subsequent hysterics on both sides of the issue kept the Bay Area amused for several months afterwards. But I do agree -- the Heavenly Hots that apparently originated there at about the same time are out of this world, or at least their *recipe* is. They are well worth making! I had lunch at the place a couple of times years ago but no longer recall what I had.
5
@Ethel
Bette's is fantastic!
I have been going there for many years & long before the instagram era of posting food. The waits at Bette's have been more than an hour+ & worth every minute.
5
Glad to hear it’s still there. Many fond memories..
1
“People love to line up,” said Karen Li Lo, one of the owners of Motto Tea Cafe in Pasadena, Calif., where soufflé pancakes are on the menu. “They like feeling like they are a part of something more.”
No. They like feeling someone else has validated their idea of what matters. Except that it doesn't.
72
@Suzanne Fass
I can't imagine a more benign manifestation of conforming behavior. There are a myriad of motivations underlying folks' tendencies to mimic others beliefs, preferences, tastes, and behaviors. Those that involve the consumption of pancakes are pretty much always harmless to both you and me. Indeed, if those motivations result in the getting out of one's apartment or house and the amiable mingling with others with similar interests, I heartily applaud them. Pleasant social interactions are a robust cure for the blues and have actually been linked with longevity.
So, lighten up,take a less misanthropic view of your neighbors, and indulge in a silly fad from time to time. You just might become happier and live longer.
18
@Suzanne Fass Cue the cynical holier-than-thou comments. We assign value to different things. I don't care about streetwear but people line up for new releases regular. New phones. I don't care, but lots of people do. Sometimes it is for the experience. I've done it to get good seats at a general admission concert and enjoyed talking to other people in line with me about our shared interest. Lighten up and go experience new things.
8
I just realized I've been gazing at these photos for quite a long time.
36
I seem to remember eating something like this in Russia, years ago. They were smaller - more silver-dollar-sized - and not raised quite as high, but they were delicious.
6
I'd like to try these. Well written, Ms. Galarza.
13
The tone of this piece perfectly reflects the subject, which I will now stand in/on line for.
13
Sounds very much like Belgian waffles. They use separated eggs, too.
5
I was just in Japan, and without reserving a space, it was impossible to try these pancakes. I'm not sure that people have moved on -- these restaurants were packed, and most had signs that read, "Sold out."
18
I am at a loss to identify soufflé pancakes as a Japanese delicacy. How does one eat them in Japan? Usually, Japanese good table manners require use of hashi (chopsticks), spoons, and occasionally a short knife hidden in an external rib of a folding fan carried by every mode-conscious samurai.
5
@ Tuvw Xyz
In Tokyo, I have frequently observed diners using the end of the chopstick as a knife to break larger slices of cake or pastry into smaller pieces that can be further separated and eaten by the chopsticks pair. I have seen it frequently enough that I don’t think it is considered rude, unusual or bad form. I imagine that these fluffy pancakes may be eaten in the same manner.
12
@ Maya EV Washington
Thank you very much for this info. As far as I know, bringing one's own utensils to the table is not considered rude in Japan. I guess this is one of the purposes of the knife hidden in a folding fan.
5
@Maya EV Actually, using the "handle" end of the chopstick in place of a knife IS considered bad manners, especially in public--you're cutting with the end you had in your hand. Unless you're eating Japanese-style sweets, which in any case are small and designed to be eaten with a little wooden or metal fork, or are at someone's home and they're improvising, cake is never served with chopsticks, and neither are pancakes--they have forks!
I suspect Mr. Xyz may have not eaten in Japan since around the Edo period.
29