Taiyaki NYC is known for their Japanese fish-shaped cones filled with soft serve ice cream. The texture of the cones are a little bit like waffles, but so much better. Traditionally, they’re stuffed with anko, or sweet red azuki bean paste, but Taiyaki offers them with custard filling too.
…BUT! Today, we’re talking about their fluffy pancakes! Although they’ve been popular in Japan for a while now, fluffy pancakes have just started making their splash in New York City. It’s really no surprise that these pancakes are gaining so much popularity - their taller-than-average height and jiggly movement make for a fun dish to eat. This is achieved through separating the egg yolks from the egg whites, the latter of which is beaten until stiff peaks are attained. This meringue is gently folded into the batter, which makes these pancakes extra fluffy because of the air bubbles formed during this process. However, these pancakes are so much more than their stunning appearance.
I was shocked that these pancakes were just as tasty as how stunning they looked. Given that a good part of the batter is that meringue, my initial expectation was that it would mostly taste of egg whites. I really was surprised by the great balance in taste - they have a really subtle, but just strong enough, sweetness, custard-y taste, and slight browning on the outside. Since I don’t like my desserts too sweet, these pancakes really were everything I wanted!
Taiyaki NYC offers these pancakes in two ways. The pancakes I tried were topped with a soft matcha cream sauce and a crispy mini anko-filled taiyaki, and served with a side of whipped cream, but you can also get them your classic style with a pat of butter, powdered sugar, whipped cream, and a side of syrup. Since these pancakes are just so good on their own, either way will taste absolutely fantastic!
I found out about these pancakes that were taking NYC by storm through @taiyakinyc on Instagram and was incredibly excited to try them out, but Taiyaki NYC only sells these cakes from Fridays to Sundays, 11am-2pm at their Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Boston locations for now, to ensure that their product is quality-controlled. So, my first soufflé pancake experience was actually at the Smorgasburg Outdoor Food Market that takes place from late March to October in Williamsburg. A stand, Fluffy’s, was a new vendor for the 2019 season that specializes in soufflé pancakes. The only difference I could find was that Fluffy’s pancakes were slightly undercooked, which you even might be able to notice in the photo below. This is probably due to the overwhelming lines at their stand - Fluffy’s was undoubtedly one of the most popular vendors at the market. Fluffy’s also offers a lot more variety in flavors offered, including blueberry cheesecake (pictured below), crème brûlée (yes, sounds incredible!), Nutella, and a rotating vegan option too.
Wherever you find your fluffy soufflé pancakes, I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy them. From what I’ve seen, a reasonable New York City price for about 2 pancakes will run ~$10-$12. I’ve seen some places run their prices up to $20 for two, not so tall, fluffy pancakes, which I can’t justify buying whatsoever. Taiyaki NYC makes an absolutely fantastic pancake, as does Fluffy’s *, and I highly recommend that if the time (Fridays-Sundays, 11am-2pm) and price work for you, have these pancakes as a really lovely end-of-the-week treat 🥞.
See you soon,
Carissa 😊