Fluffy Pancakes!

Fait accompli! One of our bucket list missions during our piano workshop with Yamaha in Japan was to find a place to experience fluffy pancakes. I've seen videos and pictures of these incredible delicacies all over the Internet, and have been dying to try them out. Finally, on our last free day of sightseeing, we found a delightful cafe within walking distance of our hotel in Hamamatsu, called the Pullman Caffé.

This place looks more like a bar than a cafe, and is run by a husband and wife team. The husband is the chef, and it appears that he has won several culinary awards from an Italian Espresso company. In fact, his fluffy pancakes were one of the very first to appear in Japan around 10 years ago, so we may very well have been tasting them at the place of origin! One of the striking aspects of fluffy pancakes is how long it takes to make them - they seem to be cooking on an extremely low heat. The egg batter is whipped to a consistency that is more akin to meringue, then carefully dolloped in layers onto the low heat grill. After a good while, the chef has an interesting technique of rolling them to heat the other side.

I selected the strawberry version, while my teammates selected blueberry and original maple butter accordingly. When they are served, they come with a fork and spoon, but no knife - no need, it turns out, as the pancake is so light and airy, it practically melts in your mouth! The middle is apparently uncooked, retaining its frothy texture, and the pancake has a lovely savory taste. When you pair it with maple syrup, the combination is absolutely heavenly! I'm so glad I was able to sample this amazing example of Japanese dessert cuisine!