Japanese soufflé pancakes have become increasingly popular thanks to the recent expansion of Canadian-based Dessert Cafe into the U.S., but their origins can be traced back to a Hawaiian restaurant and its pancake-hating chef.
Nathan Tran is the owner and general manager of Cream Pot, a popular breakfast and brunch spot for Japanese tourists and Hawaii residents in the Waikiki district on Honolulu’s south shore.
There, Chef Tran regularly prepares his signature dish, which has brought him internet fame and made the Cream Pot into an institution. But it wasn’t always that way, Chef Tran told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview with the restaurant as a backdrop.
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When Tran first opened Cream Pot in 2008, he intended to offer a brunch menu of sweet mains like crepes and “pain perdu” (French toast) along with other savory dishes. But there were no pancakes on the menu.
“We didn’t have pancakes on the menu because we didn’t want to make something that we wouldn’t want to eat,” Tran said. “I’ve never really liked the typical pancake. It just wasn’t for me.”
Pictured is a Japanese souffle pancake. Nathan Tran, who opened the Cream Pot restaurant in Hawaii in 2008, explained in an interview with Fox News Digital how he came up with the concept for Japanese souffle pancakes. (iStock)
But within the first six months of business, it became clear there was interest in pancakes, especially among Japanese customers, Tran said.
When customers found out it was the only typical dish not on the breakfast menu, they “did a 180-degree turn.” [degree] “He did a U-turn and left,” Tran recalled.
“In terms of ingredients, we make them the traditional way.”
Not wanting to “surrender” to making pancakes, Tran, who is of Japanese descent, decided to combine his love of soufflés with his interest in sweets to create a dish that would appeal to both his own sensibilities and pancake lovers.
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“I thought it would be a great idea to create a free-standing soufflé that was designed to look similar to a pancake,” Tran said.
“Pancakes are basically quick breads, but a traditional soufflé doesn’t have any flour in it, so we’re making it the traditional way in terms of ingredients.”
Cream Pot owner and chef Nathan Tran speaks to Fox News Digital via Zoom video from his Hawaii restaurant. (Fox News Digital)
Thus, the soufflé pancake was born.
The birth of the breakfast soufflé
Tran spoke to Fox News Digital about how he makes the soufflé pancakes at his restaurant.
“Our bread doesn’t contain flour,” Tran says, “it’s leavened with meringue, custard, cream and cheese.”
Tran revealed that the product is also gluten-free, but said, “We don’t advertise it that way.”
According to Tran (not pictured), his soufflé pancakes are “made with meringue, custard, cream and cheese.” (iStock)
“In our case, we make a custard mixed with cheese,” Tran says.
“Then you mix the meringue together, blend it, fold it, put it on a pan or flat iron, and sear it on both sides first to give it shape, then bake it, and bake it until it’s just cooked through in the middle, but still soft and custard-like, like a real soufflé.”
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Tran said each soufflé pancake is about 70 percent done.
“You leave it there and then bake it again just before serving to give it maximum rise,” he says. “If you leave it there too long, it will deflate.”
“I just wrote the ad on the blackboard.”
“At first, we just put up ads on a blackboard, and then slowly the orders started coming in,” Tran said.
Tran explains that his creation quickly caught the attention of a Japanese magazine that profiles Hawaiian breakfast restaurants, and since then, domestic and international media have noted that his dish “looks really interesting, because it’s thick and fluffy and looks soft.”
“Pancakes are basically quick breads, but traditional soufflés don’t have flour in them,” Tran says, “so we’re making them the traditional way in terms of ingredients.” (iStock)
Eventually, Tran was approached by Japanese companies wanting to partner with him or franchisee him.
“I just wanted to keep it small and boutique,” Tran said. “I didn’t want to get involved in that. I knew it would get out of hand in terms of quality and things like that. So I stayed away.”
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Tran said there has been a lot of interest from others who want to recreate the soufflé pancakes.
“A lot of people came and tried to study the product,” he says. “It was fun.”
Soufflé pancakes go mainstream
Nearly a decade after Tran debuted the dish in Hawaii, Benson Lau created his own take on the soufflé pancake more than 4,000 miles away in Canada.
Lau founded Fluffy Fluffy (known internationally as Fuwa Fuwa) in 2018, a year after studying pastry cooking in Tokyo.
Lau said he taught himself how to make soufflé pancakes.
Benson Lau is the founder of Fluffy Fluffy, the largest dessert soufflé cafe in North America, according to the company’s website. “Nobody taught me,” Lau says. (Fluffy, fluffy)
“I didn’t learn from anybody,” he said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
Two years after the first Fluffy Fluffy opened in Toronto, the company began franchising outside of Canada and eventually expanded into the United States, becoming the largest dessert soufflé cafe in North America, according to its website.
The first U.S. Fluffy Fluffy opened in Orlando last year and the newest location opened in Miami last month. In addition to Florida, there are Fluffy Fluffy locations in California, Texas and Georgia.
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Fluffy Fluffy’s soufflé pancakes are “fun and authentic” and strike a balance between East and West, Lau said.
“We basically tested the recipe over 1,000 times to find just the right texture for the pancakes and soufflé,” Lau said.
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Lau said Fluffy Fluffy’s soufflé pancakes are “made with egg whites and a very small amount of sugar.”
Fluffy Fluffy is a dessert soufflé cafe that offers variations on the classic soufflé pancakes and tiramisu soufflé pancakes. (Fluffy, fluffy)
Many of Fluffy Fluffy’s customers come during the day to “enjoy a bite of happiness,” he said.
The menu is also extensive, with dishes such as matcha tiramisu and blueberry cheese souffle pancakes.
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Now back in Hawaii, Tran is focused on the day-to-day running of Cream Pot, and while she’s aware of the craze for her creations, she doesn’t seem fazed.
Tran said he has no regrets about his decision.
“I make enough money,” he said. “I’m not trying to be a millionaire or anything like that. It’s not my thing.”
