We went to various Ain.Soph branches a few times on our original trip to Japan in 2019 (reviewed here), but didn’t return on our visit last year because we didn’t think the savoury menu was that good. The western items were ok, but we really wanted Japanese dishes, and those weren’t too inspiring to us. This time, we really wanted a chance to take Mother HH for some vegan Japanese pancakes, because they are so different from the ones we get in Europe, so we decided to book ourselves in just for dessert. I remembered the different branches all being very popular six years ago, so we used the online reservation system just to be on the safe side. We booked for 1.45pm just for pancakes – you have to select in advance what meal type you want. I’m glad we booked, as it was busy when we arrived. By 2.30pm it was really quiet though.

We ordered two rounds of heavenly pancakes and one strawberry pancakes (a seasonal special – they also had a strawberry millefeuille for the season). In all cases, the pancakes were very different from American or European pancakes I’ve had before – they were more like a scone in their texture, with quite a cakey base and a slightly crisp exterior. They were quite dense, but really tasty. The heavenly pancakes came with an assortment of fruit, plus nuts and seeds, which added a nice bit of texture.

The strawberry pancakes did not skimp on the strawberries, and they were flavoursome too. Dr HH was very happy that he chose this one. Both kinds of pancakes came with cream and ice cream, both of which were delicious. No complaints at all about the pancakes, we were three very happy customers!

For drinks, we tried the raspberry cream soda. I thought this would be the classic cream soda which is quite common (though rarely vegan) in Japan – fizzy pop with a sweet, creamy layer on top. But this was actually what I would call an ice cream – fizzy pop with a scoop of ice cream. I was totally astonished by this, though Dr HH insists it was perfectly clear from the photo in the menu. It was tasty and sweet, but definitely far more than I needed to accompany a big plate of pancakes!

Service was friendly and quite fast – there is a note to say the pancakes take about 15 minutes to prepare, so our expectations were well managed and it definitely didn’t take longer than that. We were always happy to visit any eateries which seated us at traditional western tables, rather than at a bar or on lower seating, so in that regard this was a definite winner too!