food

Pancake cafe from Fukuoka comes to Tokyo

8 Comments
By Kay, RocketNews24

Like popcorn, cafe-served pancakes have become a hit food item in Japan, and it looks like they’re here to stay, judging from the popularity of the numerous pancake establishments in Tokyo, particularly those in the Harajuku and Omotesando areas.

Many of these are overseas eateries that have established a branch in Tokyo, but the Hona Cafe, which one of our reporters recently visited, is actually a Japanese cafe from Fukuoka that has enjoyed such success in its native prefecture that they opened their first shop in Tokyo earlier this month. And apparently, they serve “Hawaiian Ricotta” pancakes using ricotta cheese they make right at the store. You can bet we were anxious to find out how they taste!

Interestingly, the new Hona Cafe branch in Tokyo is located in the Kabuki-cho area of Shinjuku, which is one of Tokyo’s most notable night-life districts.

The new cafe is situated on the first floor of the APA Hotel in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.

When we arrived, we saw that there was not much seating space inside the store, with most of the seats located outside. It should be nice while the weather is good, but it may not be ideal during the winter or when it’s raining.

There were several varieties of Hawaiian Ricotta Pancakes on the menu, ranging from sweet desserts with plenty of cream to hearty, savory creations with ingredients like sausage or avocado. The items were priced between 1,200 yen to 1,700 yen, which isn’t exactly cheap, but then we guess that’s to be expected of a hugely popular cafe.

It wasn’t easy choosing one pancake from the menu, but in the end, we decided to order the “Fruit and Mega-whip” Hawaiian Ricotta Pancake. As the name “Mega-whip” suggests, the pancake was served with a sizeable serving of whipped cream. Plus, you can add your choice of sauce from flavors such as chocolate, caramel and mango, just as you like it.

By the time we finished pouring the different sauces onto our pancakes, we were certainly more than ready to taste the treat … and the incredibly soft, fluffy texture didn’t disappoint! The pancakes were so soft, in fact, that we hardly needed to bite into them; they just seemed to simply melt in our mouth. We actually weren’t quite sure we could distinguish the ricotta cheese element in the pancakes, but we were certain that the cakes were unbelievably fluffy and delectable.

In addition, the generously served whipped cream was not too sweet, and the smooth texture was almost like drinking liquid cream! The fruits and in particular, the pieces of macadamia nuts sprinkled onto the pancakes, added a nice variety of flavor and texture for a genuinely satisfying eating experience.

The cafe may not be in the most fashionable of districts and the pancakes may be slightly on the pricey side, but we thought the Hawaiian Ricotta pancakes should definitely be well worth a try for sweets lovers. Who knows, maybe the Hona Cafe might even become one of the attractions in Shinjuku’s Kabuki-cho area.

Cafe Information Hona Cafe/ ホナ・カフェ Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho 1-20-2, APA Hotel Shinjuku Kabuki-cho Tower 1F 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町1-20-2 アパホテル新宿 歌舞伎町タワー1F Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Original article by: P.K. Sanjun

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- What are you waiting for? Sakura pancakes are in Japanese convenience stores right now! -- How to make epic pancakes with your Japanese rice cooker -- McDonald’s Japan introduces Hawaiian-inspired menu, netizens can’t get over the pancakes

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


8 Comments
Login to comment

Pancake cafe from Fukuoka comes to Tokyo

...why not just open up an IHOP in Tokyo? Who wants a Hawaiian Ricotta Pancake? Its bad enough you cannot find a good western style breakfast here. (great pancakes, a Denver omelette or steak & eggs.)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Enough already with the pancakes!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why pancakes? Because they're easy and cheap to make. The asking price is almost pure profit, much like that Starbucks coffee you enjoy.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The asking price is almost pure profit, much like that Starbucks coffee you enjoy.

When you consider the overheard of each store, the head and regional offices that support them, and the costs of their branding etc, their coffee is not almost pure profit. Same as the pancakes with a place like this.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Okay, pure profit compared to the cost of ingredients only.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Okay, pure profit compared to the cost of ingredients only.

But you can't compare to the cost of ingredients only. The profit of a company is the remainder of the company's income and assets minus its costs and debts. Costs are a lot more than just the ingredients used to make the coffee. Starbucks also has to pay staff, pay for training of staff, pay for departments to handle the hiring and training of staff, advertising, branding, disposal etc etc etc. They have to source the beans, test the beans, package the beans, ship the beans. They have to find cream, milk, fruit etc.

The only reason these companies can make a profit is because the the price of the coffee is so much higher than cost of the ingredients. This allows them to pay for the infrastructure to support the sales of the coffee. If they only considered the cost of the ingredients, they couldn't make a profit off the sales of the coffee, so they wouldn't be in business, and the coffee would not be for sale at all.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Okay, pure profit compared to the cost of ingredients only

How about this, nearly all the income from the pancakes/coffee goes toward overhead, and not the cost of ingredients

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

How about this, nearly all the income from the pancakes/coffee goes toward overhead, and not the cost of ingredients

That's definitely more accurate.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites