At least a hundred people were waiting on line Friday to get a taste of fluffy Japanese pancakes at the grand opening of Flipper’s, the first American outpost of the popular Japanese chain.
As of 1:30 p.m., many who arrived before opening had already been waiting for three hours to taste the soufflé pancakes—a thick, cloud-like variation on the breakfast staple that sits flat on your diner plate.
“The outermost part is toasted like a pancake, but when you dig in it’s more like a soufflé,” explained Melissa Huang, a student originally from Honolulu who’d been waiting since 10:45 a.m. Huang, like many other fluffy pancake superfans stretching down the sidewalk on West Broadway, had first tasted the confection on a trip to Japan and was excited to try it again in the U.S. She had brought her friend Stephanie Eung, who had never tasted the pancakes, along for the ride.
“It better be good!” Eung declared.
Flipper's Soufflé Pancake ($16)
News of Flipper’s grand opening apparently spread through Facebook, enticing even people who’d never tried the pancakes. Mike and Alyssa Holder, from the Upper West Side—who said they were ComicCon veterans used to waiting on long lines—had already been there for three hours to experience the hype.
“She went nuts: ‘fluffy pancakes? We're going!’” Holder said. “And I haven’t had a good pancake in a while, so this should be good.”
The restaurant owner, Ben Wang, said the massive turnout wasn’t too surprising.
“Compared to what’s happened in Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong, we expected something like this,” Wang said. “We tried to prepare as best we can.”
When asked what made the pancakes special, Wang referred to complex techniques and made-from-scratch recipes. But more than a pancake entrepreneur, he said he’s also a big fan: “It takes me eight seconds to finish a fluffy pancake.”
New York's hottest line is currently located at 337 West Broadway, at the corner of Grand Street.
