Soufflé Pancakes - Hanabusa Café - Chicago, IL
Fluffy like a cloud, tastes like heaven.
Where?
Hanabusa Cafe (hanabusacafechicago.com), located in downtown Chicago, IL, is a modern cafe which specializes in authentic Japanese soufflé pancakes.
Soufflé Pancakes
Hanabusa Cafe serves both traditional lunch food (e.g., rice bowl, ramen, etc) and brunch items. However, most guests are after the brunch items, specifically the authentic Japanese soufflé pancakes.
Description
A Japanese soufflé pancake is a pancake made using soufflé techniques. Egg whites are whipped up with sugar into a glossy thick meringue then mixed with a batter made with the yolks. Soufflé pancakes are incredibly popular in Japan. Soufflé pancakes are fluffy, jiggly, sweet, soft, and so, so delicious.
According to Internet sources, Japanese pancakes date back to the 16th century when they were used as a part of a tea ceremony. Today, the fluffy soufflé pancakes have became popular around the globe. The cooking time is much longer than traditional pancakes (around 20 minutes), and requires more attention to detail to ensure even cooking due to the thick pancake shape.
Review
Eating these pancakes will transport you to heaven on a fluffy cloud of bliss.
Hanabusa offers a variety of soufflé pancakes dishes, each with its own flavor and toppings. Since I went with my girlfriend and her mom, we tried three of the soufflé pancake meals: 1. Custard, 2. Taro, 3. Nutella.
Each dish will set you back about $16.
After ordering at the counter, we waited about 25 minutes for our food. Since the kitchen was plainly visible from our table, we got to admire the careful cooking process.
Hanabusa opens at 11am on weekdays, and we came at 11:15am for breakfast. The limited seating was nearly full, so consider coming right when they open to ensure fast service.
Recommend?
Yes. Especially if you have never experienced souffle pancakes! Everyone should enjoy these fluffy treats from Hanabusa Cafe. The only challenge is the downtown Chicago location, which can make access hard.
Ambience
The cafe location is directly downtown Chicago, IL in a relatively small space.
If you are driving, make sure to leave some time to find parking. We managed to find a street spot a few blocks away for about $10 per hour.
