What’s soft and bouncy and feels like pillows? 

If you answered souffle and/or souffle pancakes, then you’d be right. The name itself is an indication to its cloud-like nature, with the French word ‘souffler‘ meaning ‘to blow’. While the dessert has been a hallmark of classical French cuisine, it was the Japanese who popularised the souffle pancake, a fluffy cross between a pancake and a souffle made by whipping meringue into the batter so that it puffs up.

In the Klang Valley, there are a number of places serving these delectable treats, and I’ve rounded up three that I think serve pretty good ones!

SOFFLE, SUNWAY PYRAMID 

Sporting a minimalist interior with soft, subtle colours, hanging out in Soffle with friends over a dessert or two is just the pick-me-up one needs after a day out shopping. The cafe serves nine different varieties of souffle pancake, from the fruity Mango Cream and Strawberry Cream, to the creamier options of Oreo, Tiramisu or Belgian Chocolate. Their signature? Following the trend of putting tapioca pearls on everything, Soffle’s specialty is the Brown Sugar Pearl souffle pancake, which is poured over with a brown sugar sauce, boba and brown sugar syrup.

What we liked: Texture of chewy pearls paired extremely well with the soft, bouncy souffle pancake. Everything is made fresh in-house daily, from the pearls to the batter for the souffle. Come after lunch, as they might not have everything ready if you arrive around 11AM.

Also try: Soffle has a range of tea drinks, but go for the yoghurt ice cream – although it is not always available.

Soffle 

• F1.55B, First Floor, No.3. Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
• Phone:  03-7499 3900
• Open: 10AM – 10PM

MOGE TEE, SS2 

Moge Tee in SS2 specialises in fruit teas, but their souffle pancakes are also commendable. While they do have the usual flavours like Classic, Oreo, Tiramisu and bubble tea (duh), they’ve also got a pretty unique one called Sekkisei, which was created exclusively for a campaign with a skincare company. The Sekkisei is an Instagrammer’s wet dream and very pretty to look at, from the edible gold dust and flakes on top to the wooden board their souffle pancakes are served on. Tastewise, I feel that their souffle pancakes are a cut above the rest as well. Because they use cheese in the pancake + the sauce, there is a salty element to balance out the sweetness – kind of like salted caramel. The ice-cream that comes with the Sekkisei is made from tofu and very light, with a texture like sorbet, so you won’t feel like the dessert is too cloying.

The Tiramisu is a good one as well, but served with regular vanilla ice cream and a tiramisu biscuit.

What we liked: Nice balance of salty and sweet, cheesy, not cloying, beautiful presentation

Also try: Their wide range of fruit teas! Some of their bestsellers are the dragon fruit and cheese topped watermelon, avocado and the signature fruit tea. Refreshing, and pairs perfectly with the souffle pancakes.

Moge Tee 

• 52, Jalan SS2/61, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
• Phone: 03-7865 6757
• Open: 12PM – 1AM

HOSHINO COFFEE, MID VALLEY 

Don’t fret – we haven’t left out the classics. If souffle pancakes are not your thing, go for the original at Hoshino Coffee @ Mid Valley. The brand is from Japan, specialising in coffee and desserts – but they serve Western and fusion (yoshoku) dishes as well.

The atmosphere is like a typical kissaten (coffee bar/restaurant) – it’s almost like you’re somewhere in downtown Tokyo! The cafe spans two floors, with the lower level boasting booths for privacy and a coffee ‘bar’ area, while the upstairs is more reminscent of a lounge with elegant leather sofas.

Hoshino serves three flavours – Vanilla, Chocolate and Matcha. Each one is made to order so expect a waiting time of at least 20 minutes. Souffles are notoriously hard to make (just watch any episode of Masterchef) but I can say that they’ve perfected the art here. The desserts came out beautifully, served in ramekins. Photo takers will have to act fast; the souffle starts sinking almost immediately. The texture is eggy like custard, and the dessert is meant to be mixed together with the sauce that comes with it – ie vanilla or chocolate sauce.

The Matcha will appeal to those who like a hint of bitterness to balance out the sugary sweetness of the souffle.

What we liked: Perfectly baked souffles! Eggy and custardy.

Also try: The coffee, which is an Arabica blend. Not for those who like strong coffees, the coffee here is pretty mild.

Hoshino Coffee 

• 27.G, Ground Floor, The Boulevard, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
• Open: 8AM – 10PM