You’d probably have seen photos and boomerang videos of these fluffy pancakes on Instagram. They jiggle when you shake the plate, they really do.

All hail Cafe Gram’s Japanese-style Soufflé Pancakes, the one thing you must eat when in Japan!

Cafe Gram became famous for these and we have every reason for you to add this to your must-eat list. Heck, you should even fly to Japan for it!

The soufflé pancakes come in a stack of three thick pieces. The cream-coloured goodie is cooked to order and served warm, and freshness is guaranteed. This means you should tuck into it right after taking your photos and boomerang videos.

Looking all cloud-like, they sure entice both young and old. Just look around you; every table in the cafe would have a portion of these pancakes.

And yes, they do live up to the hype. It is not just a marketing gimmick as you might see it as. Well, we admit we were sceptical too but hell, were we proven wrong!

Despite looking like a mountain of sugar, Cafe Gram’s soufflé pancakes are actually pretty light in taste. Bite into it and you would be rewarded with an airy texture with a slight crisp, something like meringue, but less sweet. It also boasts a subtle eggy and creamy taste, but nothing too cloyingly sweet.

Be warned that the queues will be long and the pancakes are only available during specific hours of the day. The three timings for the pancakes are 11am, 3pm & 6pm.

And do you know why queues are formed despite the specific timings? Becuase there are only 20 portions per timing. Our suggestion is to go 15 minutes before the “golden hours” for a better chance to secure a slot.

Gram
Jiyugaoka, 2 Chome??????
Tel: +81 3 5726 8384
Daily: 11am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Jiyugaoka

For so long now, Hoshino Coffee at Plaza Singapura has been a favourite among shoppers and executives in the area. The queues are always long, and their popularity is no surprise. But if you do not want to join the queue, then venture further to the new Capitol Piazza as Hoshino Coffee has recently opened an outlet there.

Tucked away in a secluded area of Capitol Piazza’s Basement 2, Hoshino Coffee remains under the radar and is a serene place to enjoy a meal and to catch up with friends. The Japanese establishment is famous for their coffee and desserts, but what remains relatively unknown to most people is that they do serve a delectable variety of wholesome savoury dishes at very affordable prices.

Here is our take on the 13 items that you must try at Hoshino Coffee’s new flagship outlet at Capitol Piazza, and we are pretty certain you will fall in love too.

#1 FUWA FUWA HOSHINO SOUFFLÉ

Probably one we will return for, the Fuwa Fuwa Hoshino Soufflé (S$15.80) is famed for its wobbly golden hue puffy top. Dig through the eggy fluff and a bed of rice infused with cheese, mushroom slices, chunks of bacon, and tomato sauce awaits. The portion of this baked dish is huge and we think it is best to be share it with someone.

#2 PIE PIZZA

Pie Pizza is, well, a hybrid of a pie and pizza. Made with mainly flaky and buttery puff pastry, these fusion creations are significantly less dense than the traditional pizza. Each Pie Pizza (S$15) comes with a side salad, minestrone soup and wedges. There are only two flavours at the moment – mushroom & chicken and mixed flavours. But they are good enough, trust us. These Pie Pizzas are also exclusive to Capitol Piazza’s outlet.

#3 TONKATSU TOAST

Last but certainly not the least, Hoshino Coffee did an exceptional job with their mouthwatering Tonkatsu Toast (S$11.80). The delightful deep-fried breaded pork and shredded vegetables were sandwiched between two toasted breads, and each each bite reminded us of the ones we had in Japan.

#4 SALMON SPAGHETTI

Hoshino Coffee’s menu also boasts a variety of spaghetti options and a perennial customers’ favourite is the Salmon with Wasabi Cream Sauce (S$16). Served on a white oval dish, the Japanese cream-based pasta is prepared with shiitake mushrooms, shredded seaweed, salmon chunks, bits of spicy wasabi and a dash of sesame seeds. Lots of flavours in one dish, indeed!

#5 POT-BAKED CURRY RICE

Hoshino Coffee’s Pot-Baked Curry Rice (S$15) is served piping hot on a sizzling hot pan. The robust dish of baked Japanese cheesy curry rice served with generous chunks of sausages, broccoli and a semi-molten egg, is actually a memorable highlight that we will gladly return regularly for. It is one of those amazing wonders-all-in-one-bowl dish.

#6 PANCAKE SOUFFLÉ

Pancake Soufflés are Hoshino Coffee’s best-selling desserts. Ironically, they are neither a soufflé nor a pancake, but are actually a cross-breed between these two classic dishes. Enjoy a single slice of soufflé-style pancake (S$9.80) or a double portion (S$12) with a choice of honey or maple syrup. You can also choose to have them with chocolate and banana or homemade whipped cream (single – S$13.50, double – S$16.80).

From time to time, limited edition selections are available and the current menu recommends Pancake Soufflé Style with Peach (single – S$14.50, double – S$17.80). By the way, we totally dig how they are so damn photogenic.

#7 ICE MATCHA LATTE WITH SOFTEE

Hoshino Coffee has an ultimate combo perfect for green tea lovers. The Ice Matcha Latte with Green Tea Flavoured Softee (S$9.30) is a delightful drink-cum-dessert. Why have just an element of green tea when you can have two? Do note that the cold beverage becomes milkier as the soft serve ice cream melts. Warning: this is an addictive treat.

#8 MATCHA / VANILLA SOUFFLÉ

The pot-baked soufflé (S$10.80) is available in either matcha or vanilla flavour. Each soufflé is baked upon order, so do be prepared to wait for at least 20 minutes before the dessert is presented to you fresh from the oven. Watch in awe as the soufflé’s jiggly pillow-like top eventually collapses into the ceramic dish containing it. If you have ordered the vanilla soufflé, you can choose from viscous chocolate or thick custard sauce as condiments. We suggest the former, because chocolate is always more decadent and satisfying, yes?

#9 FRENCH TOAST

The soft and fluffy lukewarm brioche French Toast with Caramel Nuts (S$10.80) is drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with sliced bananas, sifted icing sugar, pan-roasted almond slices. The large scoop of ‘ice-cream’ is actually a generous portion of chilled homemade whipped cream. A simpler variation of the French Toast (S$9.90) is available, where it is simply topped with sugar and cream.

#10 MILLE-FEUILLE

The Mille-Feuille is a flaky French-inspired dessert made with layers of incredibly thin and light puff pastry. We particularly enjoyed the Strawberry Mille-Feuille (S$15) where it was filled with vast amounts of piped cream, juicy strawberries, strawberry ice cream and jam.

If you were wondering, the strawberry ice cream and jam are actually hidden by the cream. Should strawberries not appeal to you, you can choose to have the Tiramisu Mille-Feuille (S$15)  instead. Both Mille-Feuilles are exclusive to Capitol Piazza’s outlet so do make a special trip down to sample these sugary treats.

#11 HOSHINO HAND-DRIPPED COFFEE

The highest quality Arabica coffee beans have been selected by Hoshino’s in-house coffee blend specialist Master Kano, and are roasted over open fire. The piquant hot coffee (S$5.80) flavours leaves a pleasant acidic aftertaste and is best consumed within 15 minutes. You can choose to refill your coffee at 50% off for Hoshino Blend Coffee, Americano, and Iced Coffee – this is amazing news!

#12 HOT FRUIT TEA

If you are more of a tea person, you must not miss out on a fragrant pot of Hot Fruit Tea (S$9.90). This is our favourite drink! The refreshing fruity tea comes with an interesting mixture of freshly sliced apples, oranges, kiwis and blueberries. We were hopelessly addicted to the sweet tea and completely unsurprised when told that it at times sells out by afternoon.

#13 SAKURA LATTE

Contrary to popular belief, the gorgeous-looking pink coloured Sakura Latte is actually free from caffeine and colourings. You can choose to have it hot (S$9) or iced with softee (S$9.30). The milk-based beverage infused with cherry blossoms is actually very light and has an aromatic floral scent.

For the latest updates, go to www.hoshinocoffee.com.sg, and like Hoshino Coffee on Facebook.

Hoshino Coffee
Capitol Piazza #B2-55
15 Stamford Road
Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6384 5131
Daily: 10.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

This post is brought to you by Hoshino Coffee.