Kulture Kaiwa

If you’re on the hunt for a stack of Japan’s famous fluffy pancakes in Tokyo, then add Flipper’s to your list.

Flipper’s is a Japanese chain café specializing in those jiggly soufflé pancakes you’ve seen all over Instagram. They refer to them as ‘Kiseki (miracle) pancakes’ which are served with all manner of sweet toppings, and if sweet meals aren’t your thing, they also have a drool-worthy savoury menu using either the soufflé pancakes, a more American-style pancake, or English muffins depending on what you pick.

Where is Flipper’s?

The first branch was opened in Shimokitazawa in 2016 but their popularity quickly spread and there are now 4 locations around Tokyo – Shibuya, Jiyugaoka, Shimokitazawa, and Kichijoji – 1 in Osaka, and several others overseas too. I decided to visit the Kichijoji store as it is close to where I live and I had heard that the other Tokyo branches can get pretty busy. When we arrived on a Sunday morning and were immediately seated, I knew I had made the right choice. If you’re like me and enjoy a quieter and more relaxed café vibe, then I recommend visiting the Kichijoji branch, but whichever location you pick will deliver you some of the best pancakes you’ve had in your life.

The Flipper’s vibe

I can’t speak for the other Flipper’s locations but this particular branch has a real beachside café kind of vibe just, y’know, minus the beach. There’s outdoor seating at the front with sun umbrellas offering some protection from those intrusive rays. It was a drizzly day so we opted for a cosy indoor seat where we could watch the chefs in action. The interiors are simple with repeated back and white prints and touches of yellow throughout. It was a comfortable setting with ample space between guests to avoid that overcrowded feeling.

The food and coffee at Flipper’s

I should probably warn you that if you plan on ordering the kiseki pancakes at Flipper’s you should expect to wait 20 minutes for them to come out as that’s the time they take to cook. We were happy to wait and the waiter brought over a bowl of shelled peanuts for us to enjoy in the meantime which I thought was a nice touch. I also ordered a café au lait coffee that came in an unexpectedly massive mug with a lovely froth on top – another welcome surprise.

As for the pancakes, we went for the chocolate banana kiseki pancakes as our sweet option. Flipper’s is all about their eggs since the soufflé structure relies heavily on the egg whites, so they source them from Taketori Farm in Miyagi Prefecture. In combination with carefully selected milk, butter, and flour, the end product is the cloud-imitating, light-as-a-feather pancakes of your dreams. The toppings here are well balanced in terms of sweetness, which I think is a universally mastered quality across Japan, and the rich chocolate ice cream was delightfully lightened by the whipped cream. I especially loved that the banana chunks were brûléed for an added element of texture and flavour.

For savoury we couldn’t go past the maple chicken and fried eggs and holy cow, when I tell you this dish is all you need to justify a visit here, I mean it. This option is served on top of Flipper’s’ American-style pancakes which have more substance than the kiseki pancakes but still with a certain level of fluff to them. I’m not always in the mood for maple fried chicken as it can feel pretty heavy and rich, however, the chicken pieces here are so meaty that they didn’t feel oily at all. The pieces are flavoured with a 5-spice mix that is reminiscent of Ayam Goreng (Malaysian fried chicken) and is beautifully complimented by pecan butter and maple syrup. I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s one of my favourite dishes I’ve had this year.

The verdict

The popularity of Japan’s soufflé pancakes means you won’t be short of options when it comes to getting a taste for yourself. I highly recommend a visit to one of the Flipper’s stores if you’re in Tokyo, that way you can enjoy the novelty of the jiggly pancake craze with savoury options included to give you a more well-rounded meal.

Find their sample menu for each store here (in both Japanese and English) to get an idea of the selection they have to choose from: https://www.flavorworks.co.jp/brand/flippers.html