On a lazy Sunday morning, nothing really beats tucking into layers of warm, decadent pancakes slathered in syrup, chocolate sauce or cream. It’s about as close as you can get to eating dessert for breakfast.
Singapore loves its pancakes, from the stacked, firm American version, to the very popular, light and soufflé-textured Japanese ones, and there’s lots of cafes, restaurants, even a hawker stall that serve up these delicious, filling treats. Check out some of our favourites, right here.
The OG of Japanese souffle pancakes hailing all the way from Osaka had queues snaking out the door when it landed on our shores in June of last year. Its souffle light-as-air premium pancakes are stacked in threes (each one measuring a quivering 4cm) and slathered in your choice of homemade butter, whipped cream or syrup.
It’s so good, and apparently requires such care to create, that they’ve limited it to just 30 servings 3 times a day – 11am, 3pm and 6pm.
Gram Cafe & Pancakes Singapore is at#02-110/111 VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk, Singapore 098585, tel: 8666 6277.
In our opinion, it really shouldn’t get much more complicated than proper grade “A” maple syrup and fresh butter, and that’s exactly what you get with the famous Warm Maple Butter Pancakes here – twice voted “Best in the City” by New York Magazine. Topped with fresh blueberries, these pancakes are classic American buttermilk babies with just the right crispness around the edges, and a tiny hint of salt.
Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant is at 31 Purvis St, Singapore 188608, tel: 6684 4845.
This one’s for you if you’re after a particularly dense, cake-like texture – lightness is not its main selling point. This fresh ricotta hotcake takes 20 minutes to create, and comes to your table piping hot with a crispy caramelised layer and a cakey middle – more dessert than breakfast. Choose from the tartness of fresh berries, mixed nuts and maple syrup, or drizzle on some sinfully gooey rum-soaked raisin sauce with ice cream.
Curious Palette is at 64 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188667, tel: 6238 1068.
This one might look familiar as it’s been “feeding the ‘gram” pretty reliably – and who can resist posting photos of that more-ish mountain of matcha cream to social media?
The pancakes here are famed for their worthiness – the pancake mix consists of several different types of grain from Japan, including millet from Nagasaki and sprouted brown rice from Miyazaki – and they’re subtly sweetened with raw sugar and topped with your choice of matcha-flavoured chestnut sauce cream or tangy berry compote. All sauces are made fresh every morning by hand, free of preservatives.
Kyushu Pancake is at 25 Lorong Liput S, Singapore 277735, tel: 6352 6265.
Named for its formidable stack, these mille feuille pancakes are melt-in-your-mouth meringue pillows made from Japanese wheat flour, fresh milk and Hokkaido cream, and they come in piles of two, four and eight.
They come with a variety of toppings to choose from – grilled apple and homemade caramel, chocolate and grilled bananas, matcha with rice ball and red bean pancake, and the ever popular strawberry and mixed berries.
Belle-Ville Pancake Cafe is at #01-01B Bugis Junction, Towers 230 Victoria Street, Singapore 188024, tel: 6255 5456.
The waft of freshly made pancakes greets you even before your dish — topped with fresh berries, berry compote and maple syrup — arrives at the table.
Too sweet? We know no such sensation.
Atlas Coffeehouse is at 6 Duke’s Rd, Singapore 268886, tel: 6314 2674.
These
prove there’s nothing the Japs don’t do well.
Each thick pancake has a browned, light crisp crumb that gives way to a souffle-like interior.
Good enough to have simply with honey syrup, but who’s complaining about that extra dose of decadence atop?
Hoshino Coffee has multiple outlets.
The earl grey-infused pancakes at PUNCH well, pack a punch.
More on the denser side with a delicate hint of earl grey, this earthy dish is balanced by a light brown sugar syrup, and topped with chocolate-dipped poached pear.
PUNCH is at 32 North Canal Rd, Singapore 059288. To make a reservation, drop them a Facebook message.
Muffin? Pancake? Neither nor, but a happy marriage of the two — these fabulously fluffy, moist muffcakes ticks all the boxes in terms of taste and texture, and made even more perfect for cubes of vanilla ice cream, flower petals, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and of course fresh berries.
Paddy Hills is at 38 South Buona Vista Rd, Singapore 118164, tel: 6479 0800.
One for the kids (and kidults): it’s more than just brunch at Slappy Cakes, but a day out in itself.
DIY your own pancakes with your choice of pancake batter (buttermilk, whole grain, peanut butter, chocolate or zucchini), and decorate them with fixings and toppings, from sweets like berries and coconut peanut butter to savouries like crispy bacon and brie.
Slappy Cakes has outlets at The Grandstand, Resorts World Sentosa and Plaza Singapura.
Serving up (and delivering) delicious brunch grub, Tolido’s Espresso Nook does decadent all-day breakfast including excellent rostis, French toast as well as some Singapore flavour-inspired mains. Their pancakes come included as part of their Ultimate Breakfast Combo, where they add a sweet touch to the pork bacon, cheesy sausage and sunny side-up eggs, or as the main star of the Banana Pancakes. In this iteration, you get banana-battered pancakes as well as flame-torched caramelised bananas, plus some caramel sauce and maple syrup for one decadent start to the day.
Tolido’s Espresso Nook is at 462 Crawford Lane, #01-63, Singapore, 190462, tel: +65 6293 0382
Opened at the end of last year and arguably one of Japan’s most famously exported pancakes, FLIPPER’S is renowned for their soufflé-style pancakes that come served fluffy, soft and jiggly. Their melt-in-your-mouth texture is a delight and comes as the result of a custom-made griddle from Japan, plus ingredients that are weighed and measured for absolute precision. But getting that golden brown finish is a skill all on its own.
While they are best-known for their sweet pancakes featuring cream and fresh fruit, they also have savoury options (so you can have a full lunch) such as Egg’s Benedict or Honey Chicken Souffle Pancakes.
FLIPPER’S Singapore is at #B1-56, Takashimaya S.C., Ngee Ann City, 391A Orchard Road, Singapore 238873
Located in Suntec City, Westgate, North Point and most recently in Tampines 1, you’ll know fluffstack by the long lines that snake around the space (back when dine-in was allowed). Thankfully, they do deliveries during this time! Started by a group of self-professed pancake lovers, “stacks” are meticulously made using the best eggs, flour and butter. After that it gets creative, with flavours and toppings that include Oolong Boba, Musang King Durian and Salted Caramel featuring their house-made syrup.
fluffstack is located at Suntec City, Westgate, North Point and Tampines 1
At just $4 for a set of two pancakes, these could be some of the cheapest pancakes in town. But that doesn’t mean they skimp on quality or taste. Located modestly in a hawker centre in Bukit Merah, this little labour of love sells pancakes, puddings and cheesecakes (you can pre-order the puddings and cheesecakes here) – basically fulfilling all types of dessert cravings. Their pancakes are freshly made and served with a choice of chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce. The stall is halal-certified and open Sat-Sun 10.30am to 3pm and 5pm-8pm. For other times it’s best to call ahead.
sweet.rex is located at 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-79, 150120, tel: 8163 7630
With all this talk about fluffy Japanese pancakes, doesn’t it make you want to test out your own flipping skills making these bad boys? Well at Seiwaa Okonomiyaki and Teppanyaki, you can (once we can dine-in again, of course). In addition to letting you make your own okonomiyaki and monjayaki dishes, you can also try your hand at flipping some Japanese batter pancakes. You can even add cheese for a more savoury option or add some gula melaka sauce for some local flare.
Seiwaa Okonomiyaki and Teppanyaki is located at 72 Dunlop Street, 209400, tel: 8828 8931
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Text: Pinky Chng, Pearlyn Quan and Karen Fong
This post was first published in October 2017, and updated on 23 July, 2021.
