To start off my day-of search for amazing fluffy pancakes I did what anyone would have done...I searched on Google. I searched "fluffy pancakes" and it brought up google maps with places pinned that serve fluffy pancakes in the city of Kyoto, where I was staying for work. I made the assumption that I would find the most delicious pancakes in downtown Kyoto. In my mind downtown Kyoto meant hip and modern to me which is exactly what I thought about these fluffy pancakes. I started looking at all the pins in the downtown area and caught a glimpse of a familiar name, "A Happy Pancake." This is a known restaurant chain that specializes in fluffy pancakes. The rating for the restaurant wasn't bad either, so I took that as a sign that I should go there. It wasn't too hard to find, but was on the second floor of a building which is pretty common in Japan.
Once inside, I was seated at a table and given a menu full of nothing but fluffy pancakes. "A dream come true," I thought. There were many different types of pancake themes from chocolate to traditional flavors. I decided to go with a seasonal fruit pancake since that seemed good at the time. I was very excited to finally get my first plate of fluffy pancakes. Fluffy pancakes were always on my list of sweets I wanted to try in Japan. It looked amazing! The pancakes were super fluffy and the fruit looked very fresh (not like the fake fruits used at IHOP, gross). I didn't immediately dig in, but instead started my meal with photos and videos of the fluffy pancakes. Once I was satisfied with that, I picked up a spoon and started my taste test. Sadly, I was very disappointed. I was already put off by the very vibrant yellow color of the pancakes but I thought nothing of it. Once I tasted it though, I realized the yellow color reflected the very strong taste of eggs. I like eggs, and especially Japanese eggs, but I was not expecting the taste to accompany my pancakes so I was very disappointed.
 |
| "A Happy Pancake" seasonal fruit pancake. Score: 4/10. |
I convinced myself that there needed to be better fluffy pancakes out there in Kyoto. Maybe my mistake was relying on Google. I went to the Kyoto train station and picked up a food guide book they had for guests of Kyoto to use. I skimmed through the booklet and spotted a picture of fluffy pancakes. It looked good, and I saw that it was located very close to the train station. It seemed like a sign that I should go try it out.
The place is called Cafe and Dining Fleur. This cute restaurant served food such as curry rice and other simple cafe foods, but you knew they were special for their fluffy pancakes since it had its own section of the menu. There were some great ones to choose from, and this time I chose a chocolate themed one with bananas. They notified me that it would take about 30 minutes to make, but it really didn't seem like I waited that long. The guide book said it was a great place, so I decided it would be worth the wait. And I was not disappointed this time!
These pancakes were super fluffy and I could already tell the difference in the color. The pancakes were not an abnormally bright yellow which was a good sign for me (at least I hoped that it meant that it wouldn't taste too much like eggs). I enthusiastically took a piece and was thrilled! It did not have an overpowering taste of egg which made it a pleasant "meal." I made sure to enjoy every bite. A little pancake with whip cream, a little pancake with banana and chocolate, and a little pancake with ice cream. I felt full and happy by the time my plate was clean.
 |
| Cafe and Dining Fleur chocolate and banana pancake. Score: 10/10. Do it! |
For both restaurants I had to get up from my table after I was done my pancake meal to pay at the cashier counter. These pancakes ranged from about $10 to $18 USD. I say just go straight to Cafe and Dining Fleur if you are interested in trying fluffy pancakes. Their other food looked really good too. I look forward to continuing to go back there.
This is just talking about fluffy pancakes in Kyoto. If you travel around Japan, I'm sure you can find other places that serve fluffy pancakes too. It's definitely a treat, so give yourself the chance to try it. I hope I have made you excited to try the famous Japanese fluffy pancakes on your next travel to Japan.
Thank you for reading my blog! I really appreciate it, and love when people can get something out of them. I plan on doing a YouTube video about the pancakes, so go subscribe to my channel so you can watch it when it comes out!