Mad about Japanese pancakes? Hit this fluffy ‘Birthday’ stack at Kowloon Shangri-La
- The Birthday Tower – soufflé pancakes with strawberries, maple syrup and cream created by chef Wins Hung Chi-yin – is a delightful take on the favourite snack
Hong Kong food lovers have been lining up for soufflé pancakes, aka fluffy pancakes, since they first hit local griddles more than a year ago. And there is no decline in their popularity, with A Happy Pancake, Pancake Gram and Flipper’s from Japan opening here, and more brands coming to our shores soon.
Hardly surprising, as soufflé pancakes have been a craze in Japan for more than three years, and they are spreading to other locations including Taiwan, London and Hong Kong.
The trend started in Osaka, where the pillow-like dessert first made waves at weddings. Its gentle jiggle brought smiles to the faces of guests, and it soon became synonymous with happiness.
Bringing similar joy to diners is Kowloon Shangri-La, which offers the Birthday Tower – a stack of soufflé pancakes with Japanese strawberries, maple syrup and cream, available on the Moonlight Hour menu at the Lobby Lounge between 8pm and 11pm.
“My idea for the Birthday Tower was to make the dish tall, for celebrations like birthdays, so guests can put a candle on top and share it,” says Wins Hung Chi-yin, pastry chef at the Kowloon Shangri-La.
“I have added a home-made sakura jelly to the Birthday Tower, which is something quite refreshing this season.”
Another creation on the Moonlight Hour menu by this second-generation pastry chef – his father and uncle were both hotel pastry chefs in Hong Kong – is the crème brûlée soufflé pancake, a delicious balance of three great desserts: soufflé, pancakes and crème brûlée.
“This idea came about because of the many desserts we make for the restaurants here at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel,” Hung says. “I had the idea of mixing the brûlée cream into the soufflé pancake mix and then glazing it with sugar.”
And it works. The dessert is rich and creamy, with that familiar creme brûlée sugar crunch. Chef Hung believes his pancakes are delicious because of the quality of the ingredients.