Hanabusa Cafe - Toronto, Ontario

This was such a great place to try out at Kensington Market. There was quite a bit of a wait for our order to be served but it was worth the wait. The matcha latte was a good way to start the morning. The custard pancake was heaven. It was ... so fluffy and delicious. Not overly sweet. Just how I like it. Most of the sweetness came from the caramel. I'd definitely come back here again and try other flavours. Read more

Each time I come here I am still surprised to see how beautiful the fluffy pancakes are. The cafe is decorated quite nicely. It is good for a hangout or a date. The pancakes are a bit expensive ($15-18) but look and taste amazing. I also like to watch the ... servers cook the pancakes in the front of the cafe. Read more

This super adorable japanese cafe located inside the Kensington Market is known for their popular soufflé pancakes! All sorts of pancake flavours to pick from, all sounds so delicious! My friend and I got the Earl Grey Pancake and the Custard pancake to try out. The Custard Pancake was way ... tooo delicious! Topped with caramelized creamy custard, fresh cut fruits and whipping cream. Would definitely get this custard pancake again. The Earl Grey & Sea Salt Caramel Pancake was pretty good too, their housemade earl grey whip was 10/10 delicious, along with sea salt caramel sauce, fruits and whip cream. I love how they manage to keep the richness of flavour while balancing a nice subtle sweetness to not overpower the natural taste from the pancakes itself. I also got a cup of their amazing japanese matcha latte. It was served with a "beary cute" latte art melted my heart away! Way too adorable to drink. It's a great nice place to enjoy an afternoon dessert, or even as a meal, because their pancake portion really stuff you up! The space is comfy, can get kind of crowded during their lunch rush hours, but we didn't have to line up when we went around 2-3. Hanabusa has a rewards points card program too, so you can accumulate point with each purchase of pancakes. Custard Pancake - $14.99 Earl Grey & Sea Salt Caramel Pancake - $13.99 Read more

I had doubts about these expensive pancakes. They’re so fluffy and light. We tried earl grey, jasmine tea(weekend only) and taro flavours. Earl grey is amazing, but it was very rich and a bit too salty. Matcha latte was great as well.

Toronto has been obsessed with souffle pancakes, and I can definitely understand why. In fact, I'm obsessed too. The pancakes are so light and fluffy, it feels like I'm eating pancake clouds. The pancakes themselves are slightly sweet, with a slight eggy flavour. This is my second time trying them. I ... went to Fuwa Fuwa a month ago and I wanted to see how Hanabusa differentiates itself. I went with a group of friends, and we ordered 5 pancake dishes - the Original, Chocolate, Matcha, Early Grey, and the August special, Mango Cream Cheese. I tried the Chocolate, Matcha, and August special. We actually wanted to try the Custard and the Jasmine Tea but since we went at 5:30, and the restaurant closes at 6:30, they ran out of Custard, and they only serve Jasmine Tea on the weekends. Each plate comes with three perfectly cooked pancakes, topped with a dollop of whipped cream, respective sauce or toppings, and garnished with a generous serving of fresh strawberries and blueberries. I love that Hanabusa didn't skimp on the fresh fruit, whereas Fuwa Fuwa used only a couple of raspberries and blueberries per dish. Hanabusa’s usage of fresh berries added to the aesthetics of each plate as well as to the flavour of each dish. The portion size was pretty big, so if you're coming for dessert, I'd recommend getting one to share between two of you. I was very curious about the August special, Mango Cream Cheese, and I found the taste to be a pleasant surprise. The cream cheese was salty but it complemented the sweetness of the mango as well as the sweetness and eggy flavour of the pancake really well! My personal favourite was the Matcha. I'm a diehard matcha fan so that wasn't a surprise. I love how the matcha sauce came in a little jar that I could pour myself. This is ideal for me because I don't like soggy food and I was able to pour bit by bit onto my pancakes. The matcha flavour was also strong and bitter, which is how I like mine. The Chocolate ganache was also really light and not too sweet! I was expecting something with the consistency of Nutella so I was surprised to see that even the ganache was so light. The servers here were also really so friendly and helpful. We sat for 15 minutes or so before ordering as we were waiting for a friend and the servers never once rushed us to order. She brought us our water and answered all of our questions, including the wifi password (PS: it's 77kensington). This was a plus for Hanabusa as I had to pour my own water at Fuwa Fuwa. We ended up leaving close to 7 (half an hour after closing) and even then, the servers never came up to rush us to leave. The interior is so Instagram-worthy and I saw a group go on a mini photoshoot with set-up in front of the neon sign. Admittedly, I also took advantage of neon sign. Not only can you get delicious pancakes, you can also step up your IG game! There are also plenty of seats in the seating area and tables are a good distance apart from each other. Hanabusa is more spacious than Fuwa Fuwa, where the tables are so close and seating is really minimal. I felt more comfortable here. It truly felt like I could stay at the cafe all day. I definitely will come back to give the Jasmine Tea pancake a try! It sounds so unique and I also can't wait to see what the September special will be! Read more