Scrolling through my blog drafts and realized I forgot to post about my family’s last day in Japan so taking it back to summer of 2019…
My dad really wanted to go to this famous fluffy pancake (aka soufflé pancake) shop, Benizuru, and there are a few places that make fluffy pancakes, but this place has a master who only makes 60 orders a day. Each order is 3 pancakes with a few variations (plain honey, red bean, chocolate banana, eggs m Benedict). They open at 10:30am, but start taking reservations at 8:30am so my brother and I hustled there in the morning. We arrived at 8:40am and already 16 slots were reserved. We quickly put in our names and went to Starbucks to wait for our turn.
Luckily a few blocks over is a street market. There were numerous shops, but it was hard to maneuver due to rain so we didn’t stay long. Before we knew it, it was our turn for pancakes! We arrived 5 minutes before our turn and were seated immediately. It’s a small shop that really only holds 12 at a time with 4 employees.
We put in our orders: dad and brother – eggs Benedict, mom – red bean and me – chocolate banana. Then the true show began as the master beautifully made the pancakes. It was like watching a work of art being made! I know it can sound crazy, but it was amazing seeing it all happen in front of us. The master just silently worked at whipping the pancakes to a perfect size as they sat one on top of each other. Then the toppings were drizzled on and tada it was time to eat!
And wow it’s like eating a cloud! I don’t know how else to explain it. The pancakes were so light and the toppings were all carmalized or drizzled on with perfection. I was amazed by my brother’s and dad’s because it was savory and sweet. If we were able to order again, I would like to get the plain honey because as delish as the toppings were, they could have taken away from the simplicity of the pancake – I know, I sound like such a foodie 😝
So this place is definitely a winner just for the experience alone xo
Update March 2024 – went back with hubby, brother in law and baby and was STILL as good as I remember!
We got there at 8:10am and there was a line of people waiting to make reservations. At exactly 8:30am (I love how punctual Japan is!) the doors open and we got to make reservations. The first time slot for 3 adults was 11:30am so we left to wander and explore for a few hours. At 11:25am we came back and got ready! We were seated quickly and put in our orders: original pancakes with honey and ice cream for brother in law, red bean and mochi pancake for hubby and the seasonal strawberry with pistachio for me.
It was all delish! There are more workers than last time I came with one lady making the pancakes, one lady whipping creams, and one doing dishes. It was a well oiled machine of efficiency and deliciousness!
Hubby said it was yummy, but he’s not sure he would wake at the crack of dawn to get in line again…but if I have any say in it, we will definitely go back next time we’re in Japan xo
love, Lilla 