Hyperlocal Tokyo

I visited around lunchtime on a weekday. There was no waiting line, so I just wrote my name in Roman letters. Everyone else was writing in English! Apparently, Katakana isn't allowed. While waiting, I watched the open kitchen where they were making pancakes, and soon I was led to my table. They asked if I was okay with a 40-minute wait for the pancakes, and of course, I said yes. The restaurant is in the basement, but it's quite spacious, and the tables were almost full. About half of the customers seemed to be foreigners. There were a lot of foreigners. I ordered the seasonal item, "Pumpkin Pancakes with Domestic Chestnut Raisin Butter," and Earl Grey tea. The tea came with the pancakes. Water was self-service. You pour it from a water server with lemon water at the counter in front into paper cups. After waiting for about 35 minutes, the pancakes arrived. There were three pancakes with pumpkin cream sauce and raisin butter on top. There was also a generous amount of whipped cream on the side. The pancakes were soufflé-style, fluffy and soft. They were freshly baked, but not hot (as noted on the menu). They were already half-flattened under their own weight, but they wouldn't flatten any further. The batter itself wasn't very sweet, but the pumpkin cream was sweet, smooth, and delicious. The raisins were also sweet and delicious, mixed with chestnut paste and butter. Eating the pancakes with plenty of pumpkin cream, raisins, and whipped cream made me feel happy. The pumpkin cream and chestnut raisin butter were simply delicious. The tea came in a paper cup with a "Myghty leaf" tea pouch (tea bag). It was a shame that the water and drinks were served in paper cups. Why not use glass or ceramic? Also, what am I supposed to do with the tea bag? The tag on the tea bag says to steep for 4 minutes, but am I supposed to leave it in and drink it? That's a bit disappointing. It would be amazing if they served leaf tea in a teapot. One star less for the paper cups. As lunchtime progressed, quite a few tables became empty. This might be the best time to visit. The atmosphere of the restaurant felt a bit rushed, as if they were trying to turn tables quickly. Payment was accepted by credit card, various electronic money, but not d payment. Thank you for the meal.

This is the 'Happiness Pancake' near Omotesando Station. I went there around 10 am on a weekend, and it was already packed. Almost everyone there was a foreigner. It felt like I was in France. The cake was fluffy and very soft, melting in my mouth. It was so delicious. The sweetness of the pancake and the saltiness of the bacon were a perfect match!

This place is always packed. I waited for it to open after running some errands. There's a waiting list at the front of the store where you write your name down. I went in as soon as it opened at 11:00 AM. The clientele was almost entirely foreign. I ordered the popular pancakes and coffee. The texture of these pancakes was fluffy and almost too soft, melting in your mouth. It was like a fluffy omelet. The pancakes stuck to the fork and knife, and there was a creamy filling. The coffee was surprisingly a good size and I was quite full. There are a lot of pancake and hotcake places in this area, so I think it's a matter of taste. It's definitely delicious. It's probably the kind of pancake that Westerners would like. The clientele was clearly mostly Westerners.

On June 24th, I turned off Omotesando towards Kita-Aoyama, and after finding the recognizable sign, I went down to the basement. The interior was surprisingly spacious and I liked the clean, bright atmosphere. All the staff were friendly and helpful. There weren't many other customers, so we had a relaxing time. My companion had the classic "Happiness Pancakes", while I had the "Chocolate-Covered Pancakes." Both were simply delicious. I won't go into a detailed analysis, but they were enjoyable to eat. We had coffee with our pancakes, which was average. Perhaps the sweetness of the pancakes overpowered the coffee's flavor. Soon, a white couple sat down next to us. They were looking at our food, so I explained what we were having. They were delighted. Delicious food transcends borders!

I visited around 1:30 PM on Sunday. The restaurant was about half full, but I was able to get in without waiting. When I left at 2:30 PM, there was a line out the door, so 1:30 PM might be a good time to go. This was my first time trying it, and it was definitely delicious 😋. There were a lot of foreign tourists, and I can understand why people would come from overseas to eat here. It was delicious, but the portions were a bit large. It's a popular spot, so it was a good experience for a special occasion.