If you’ve been to Japan and neglected to try your hand at nabbing a seat at Gram Pancakes, then you made a grave mistake, friend. Originally opening in Osaka in 2014, the shop quickly developed a borderline cult-like following for its signature dish: the fluffy, tripled stacked ‘Premium Pancakes.’
For the unconverted, these soufflé pancakes will adorably wobble right up until the moment you shove them straight down your gob. Naturally, the Japanese have gone bonkers over it, with daily hour-plus-long lines, and now Gram has opened up some new digs in Chatswood.
You’ll find treats like the mixed berries French toast and matcha smoothie on the menu, but you’d be an absolute chump not to order the beloved triple stack. These guys are so serious about their pancakes that Gram’s executive chef, Teruyuki Yasumura, is flown to every single new store to make ensure staff are up to scratch and that the experience remains identical that of the Japanese original. With 60 Gram franchises around the world, the dude must have some serious frequent flyer miles.
As to be expected, Sydneysiders lost their collective shit at the news of the opening, and then promptly went into mob mode at the realisation that the café, much like the original Japanese model, placed a firm daily limit on the number of Premium Pancake serves per day. Un-bloody-Australian. Needless to say that decision has since been reversed.
“We’ve listened,” Gram posted on its Facebook page, attempting to put out the fire. “We understand that the Western hospitality scene is significantly different from our other locations, and would very much like to offer a casual dining experience here. As such, there will be no limiting to the number of premium pancake portions per day, and we will be serving them throughout the day.”
The original limit was put in place to maintain a high level of quality between each product, so to help counteract jeopardising that, the café will be setting up a queuing system that’ll allow you to wander the nearby area until your table is eventually ready.
With Lune Croissanterie also headed our way, this is a good week.
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