We just can’t quit pancakes. Last year, the diner breakfast staple emerged as the go-to order — pancakes for the table, anyone? — and now a new trend cycle is spinning with souffle pancakes. The sky-high stacks popularized in Japan are popping up in the west. They’re impressively thick, but light and fluffy inside thanks to an egg-white-heavy batter. Most importantly (at least for your Instagram stories), they wobble. Pancakes, but make it fashion.
In London, the fall 2018 arrival of Fuwa Fuwa (self-proclaimed “UK’s 1st Japanese Soufflé Pancake Shop”) prompted lines and press attention: “as everything at Fuwa Fuwa is made to order, that meant a 20-minute wait with nothing but Oolong tea for company,” writes Tim Jonze in the Guardian. “If purgatory for foodies exists, then this is what it feels like.” PURGATORY.
The aptly named Los Angeles cafe Souffle’s opened in December 2018. Less structured, but still fluffy, souffle pancakes are the star of the “all day brunch” restaurant. What these versions lack in height, they make up for in gooey, photo-friendly toppings.
In New York City, a dessert shop eponymously named for the highly ‘grammable, fish-shaped taiyaki desserts it serves saw hours-long lines form when it added fluffy pancakes to the weekend menu earlier this year.
San Francisco will see the pancakes at the upcoming Gram Cafe & Pancakes. It’s unclear at this time if the name, which the multi-unit chain brings with it from Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand, is an intentional reference to the social media platform it will dominate.
As of publishing there are over 43,000 Instagram photos with the hashtag #soufflepancake; and it’s easy to see why. They’re tall, they have texture, they’re overtly decadent. They are frequently sold in limited quantities and take time to prepare, which means they often come with a line. In short, they’re perfect for a social media form dedicated to getting people to double tap photos of food they’ve never eaten posted by people they’ve never met. (Pro tip: Vertical shots will emphasize the height, and the height is what makes it visually special, and you want your photo to be special right?)
In Eater parlance: Brace. These fluffy pancakes are definitely coming to a feed near you.
• People Are Waiting Hours for a Fluffy Japanese Pancake in Chinatown [Gothamist via ENY]
• Fluffy Japanese Souffle Pancakes Coming to Stonestown Galleria [ESF]