MANILA, Philippines – Fleeting food trend or not – it seems like soufflé pancakes are here to stay. (READ: LIST: Where you can find soufflé pancakes around Metro Manila) Japan’s famously fluffy pancakes have been jiggling all over the Metro for quite a while now – some made local, some brought in from Japan, and others hailing from Taiwan, like Puffy’s Soufflé Pancake Café.

The dessert café from Shilin, Taipei opened its doors to the sweet-crazed Metro Manila crowd for the very first time in December 2019 at The Block, SM North EDSA.

 

Puffy’s pancakes are meticulously made from scratch every day upon order – a therapeutic process you can watch via the small branch’s open kitchen.

Fresh eggs and fresh milk are mixed, beaten, and whipped, cooked slowly on low heat on a covered pancake griddle. Expect a minimum waiting time of 30 minutes per order.

Each cloud-like soufflé order costs P140 for two pieces – a very fair price to pay for pancakes that are lightly crisp on the outside, yet still creamy, airy, and soft on the inside: jiggles included. From all the Japanese pancakes being sold around the city, Puffy’s prices remain very affordable.

The pancakes are just the right width and height, with custard sauces and toppings that aren’t cringe-worthy sweet; no umay. The size is just right, and the texture isn’t dense at all.

Now, it’s time to pick your pancake poison – will it be chocolate, milk tea, creme brûlée, or the original?

Chocoholics usually go for Puffy’s Chocolate Soufflé Pancake, doused with a chocolate sauce, cookie bits, and a whole Oreo biscuit on top.

For the milk tea addicts, Puffy’s Milk Tea Soufflé Pancake may adjust well to your obsession – two souffle pancakes are covered in a light, milk tea-based cream, artfully designed with brown sugar syrup, and topped with chewy tapioca pearls.

The Blueberry Cheesecake Soufflé Pancake was initially just a limited edition Valentine’s Day item, but many seemed to enjoy the cheese-like custard sauce, blueberries, and graham bits on the pancakes – so it stayed on the menu.

My personal favorite was the Creme Brûlée Soufflé Pancake – keeping things simple with a creamy custard sauce and a bit of sugar on top, blow-torched until crunchy and golden-brown.

Sticking to the OG? Puffy’s Original Soufflé Pancake features just honey, a dollop of whipped cream, and graham cracker bits sprinkled on top.

Customers can add a scoop of ice cream for an additional P15. On its own as a sundae, the ice cream costs P25.

And if your sugar levels aren’t off the charts just yet, Puffy’s also serves a menu of sweet, milky drinks, like their best-selling Milky Marble (P105), a creamy, brown sugar-based large drink with tapioca pearls and blow-torched sugar on top.

For something with less sweetness and more spritz, Puffy’s also serves carbonated drinks. Their Lychee (P75) drink is soda-like, fruity, and refreshing, and tastes like a less intense Sprite.

Here’s the rest of Puffy’s menu:

Drinks (all large size)

• Classic Pearl – P80
• Cocoa – P80
• Marble Tea – P105
• Wintermelon Tea – P80

Carbonated Drinks

• Green Grape – P75
• Honey Peach – P75
• Lemon – P75
• Roselle – P75

Puffy’s Souffle Pancake Cafe is located at the 4th floor of The Block, SM North EDSA, Quezon City. It is open from 10 am to 10 pm every day. – Rappler.com