Japanese soufflé pancakes are quite possibly the most viral and trendy desserts if not dishes period in the world right now. Hailing all the way from the other side of the world they’ve captured the imaginations and amazed taste buds of foodies all around the world. So, it is no surprise that there are numerous Japanese soufflé pancake spots popping up around the major cities around the world. London is no exception. There are a number of spots in London where you can sample this wonderful dessert. In this post we’ll talk about the dish a little and then introduce you to the first and the best Japanese soufflé pancake spot in London: Fuwa Fuwa.
Japanese soufflé pancakes
Japanese soufflé pancakes are light, airy and fluffy pancakes. It’s like when airy soufflés meet flat, sweet American-style pancakes. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a dream. There is little surprise how popular these have become around the world. Aesthetically made for Instagram with the pretty toppings and the famous jiggle and in terms of taste made for the sweet tooth as well as those who aren’t too big on desserts as with most East Asian desserts, it isn’t overly sick. Slightly sweet and fluffy in texture, this is a dessert that is the perfect end to any meal or just one of those things that are good to be a standalone dish that is worth going out for. In Japan they are traditionally served at weddings, but have now become so popular that they are consumed for breakfast to dinner.
Western pancakes are typically consumed for breakfast when one is opting for a sweet hearty option that is often whipped up very quickly. In contrast, Japanese soufflé pancakes are light fancy treats that can be had at any time of the day. It’s a dessert that requires hours of training and then the preparation itself is quite time consuming, which we’ll get to below. It divides opinion to be honest as I’ve seen some love the dish and some loathe it (claim is too eggy/ tastes of nothing). Probably more love it though including me.
Fuwa Fuwa
Fuwa Fuwa is the first Japanese soufflé pancake cafe in London. They were first out of the block and one would argue well before it actually became a trend in the capital. Now, there’s a few spots that do this dessert, but they are the OG. The name means “fluffy fluffy”, which is apt considering the texture of the pancakes. They’ve got a couple of branches: one in Brunswick Centre and a new one in Soho. And here’s hoping there’s many more to come in the future. Also, I love that the place has no flower walls – the interior decor is very minimalistic with the dominating colour being white. A very clean, chic and minimalistic look, which I appreciate. I feel this is harder to do than pink flower walls with fancy light bulbs (boring).
Our order
We ordered the classic honeycomb butter pancakes and boy were they good. These Japanese soufflé pancakes with honeycomb butter might just be the best dessert I have ever had! They were literally just that good. A big claim I know, and one that I probably need to substantiate by trying it out again, but I still remember fondly and dream about the moment of biting (or inhaling) these treats. Light. Fluffy. Right amount of sweet. Wow. The honeycomb butter is made in house, and the pancakes are also served with maple syrup and vanilla cream! Perfect combo. I didn’t find it eggy at all as some claim and I like that the additions complimented the airy plain tasting pancakes. I guess toppings are key with such pancakes. It took quite some time for our order to come out, but upon further research we found out that there is a reason for that. The soufflé pancakes are made-to-order and they are cooked very slowly at a low temperature… all to achieve that perfect, fluffy texture.
Getting there
Parking: Ossulston Street – free evenings and weekends – plenty of parking spaces on Sundays
Nearest Mosque: Muslim World League Goodge Street (5 min drive)
Nearest station: Russell Square
