Clinton Bakery : Hearty Breakfast Platter

Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancakes.

The number of times I have pancakes in Tokyo looks ready to surpass the number of McPancakes I've have in Singapore.

 

Located within 15-min walk from Bills Omotesando is a New York bakery whose blueberry pancakes have been voted twice as the best pancakes in New York by New York Magazine. Barely opened for less than a year in Tokyo, it is no surprise that the pancakes-loving Tokyo-ites have congregated at the doors of Clinton Street Baking Company, making it another hot spot in town (though queues are much shorter and generally no queues during weekdays).

Instead of the blueberry pancakes, we had the Apple and Bavarian Cream Pancakes (1500 ynen), the special flavour of the month. Stacked tall and high with cooked apples, the pancakes were fluffy but not so porous. They were unevenly bronzed such that bottom two layers remain pale yellow. Tastewise, they were lightly sweet on their own, but nothing spectacular to merit praises.

One can call them homely, but perhaps something that can be replicated at home.  I do not deny the butter caramel sauce was delish, but the meager amount could not even last half of the pancakes despite skin-dipping the sliced cakes into the ramekin. Unlike Bubby's or Bills, charges apply for extra syrup.

Rather than pancakes, I am more convinced with the title of New York's No.1 Breakfast Spot given by Lonely Planet if it refers to the Spanish Omelette (1400 yen). Caramelized onions, tangy tomatoes, chorizos, scallions are thrown haphazardly into the massive omelette that is made with not 1, but 3 EGGS. Covering the delicious mess is some melted Monterey Jack cheese that disintegrates into gooey strands as one plants the fork into it. Truly comfort food par excellence.

Well, for those who are still not bored of the regular American breakfast, there is certainly the Country Breakfast  (1400 yen) that includes three eggs (choose one's preferred style), maple cured ham, meteoroid-sized savoury biscuit,  same chunky blob of hashbrown which appeared in the Spanish Omelette. 

There is also a bakery section and the Japanese ladies were frantically taking-away the L-sized muffins and scones after their meal. I was interested only in one thing, and that is the signature buttermilk biscuits which claimed to be as flaky and tender as the original legendary ones from Lundy's Restaurant in Sheepshead Bay (place where the owner used to work for). The dine-in version comes with raspberry jam and whipped cream. The texture is similar to scones but I thought there wasn't any particular special about it.

 

Still, I guessed savoury breakfast platter still reigns at Clinton Bakery.


Clinton Bakery
クリントン ストリート ベイキング カンパニー
Minato-ku Minami-Aoyama 5-17-1
Access: 6 min walk from Exit B1 Omotesando Station
http://clintonstreetbaking.co.jp/