Accueil Pancakes is one of the "older generation" pancakes house that was rated Japan's No.1 Pancake. Its main Ebisu outlet recently undergone a renewal and there's another in Yokohama. It also runs a same name cake cafe called Patisserie Accueil, located a distance away in Ebisu. The cakes are available as well in the pancake shop but Accueil's cult following is still built around pancakes which are available in both savoury and sweet versions.
One of the highly popular items is the Marshmallow Pancakes (half size ¥ /full size) that will take at least 50 minutes (or so we were told by the staff) before it graces the table during a crowded weekend. It sounded quite ok to me since I had already saved the long queuing time by making a prior online reservation. To fill up the waiting time, I decided to get the Matcha Mont Blanc (¥500), which was surprisingly potent on the matcha-an (bean paste) exterior.
Fortunately, the giant slab of caramelized marshmallow on a 2-inch pancake came within the stated waiting time and got our moods soaring high. Unlike most Japanese pancakes that are inclined towards light and fluffiness, they are dense and chewy. I raised my eyebrows at the first few doughy bites as I thought they were undercooked but this is just the unique character of the pancakes. The burnt marshmallows were sweet and sticky but not excessively so when you have them with the pancakes. This was strangely delicious as I found myself attacking this almost non-stop.
However, not the same can be concluded with the Bananas Caramelized Pancakes, whose problem lies not with the distorted ratio of fresh cream and vanilla ice cream to pancake, but with its texture. Unlike the Marshmallow pancake, it lacked the slightly crisp rims and butter aroma. The tower of cream and ice cream might spell headache for some but it was actually manageable if you love creamy stuff like me.
Portions are huge enough for sharing so I suggest you to order half-size (regular size-2 pancakes) unless you want to struggle and roll back to the train station with a overstuffed belly. On the menu includes a selection of hearty bistro fare for lunch/dinner and I wanted to order their omu-rice as well. But that'll be next time.
Cafe Accueil Ebisu
〒150-0021 東京都渋谷区恵比寿西2-10-10
Tokyo 150-0021, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu Nishi 2-10-10
4 min walk from Yamanote Line/Hibiya Line Ebisu station
5 min walk from Toyoko Line Daikanyama Station
TEL.03-6821-8888
Daily 11am-11pm (Lunch until 5pm)
Closed on last and 1st day of the year
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