Like a Soufflé Rising to the Top at Cafe D.er

Being frank about this, I rarely do a boba tea shop or cafe.

Ahh who am I kidding? I loathed to do it only because you can only showed a one or maybe at best 2 things about these places. You would have totally have nothing to write about after you show cased the whoopedoo ice cream or rainbow cake.

Frankly, there's just not really an attraction to do this.

Lo behold, I do have a reason to dedicate a post about this place. It's not for some weird concoction of a milk tea or Instagram-esque ice cream that anyone can make with different coloring. Nope, it's a dessert I craved for a very long time.... Soufflé pancakes!

Matcha Soufflé pancakes with Green Tea Ice Cream and Mochi

What are those exactly? Try to imagine pancakes are flat like a dinner plate, in a shape of a Frisbee. Usually these flatjacks are being flatten, but comes out thick like coasters for your cocktail drinks. Imagine if you will that these Soufflé pancakes are now revitalized into a fluffy chiffon like angel cake. Pump up like a big bulging angel cake, but soft as a marshmallow.

How do you get those exactly? I found out it was extremely popular in Japan, more so than the actual Soufflé dessert. In all estimate, they are likely to be made to order when you want to about to crave it. If that was the case, you can bet all made to order Soufflé will take time... as in like half a hour or longer.

Hence, you don't see too many establishments attempt to make it because it's just too long. Many posh restaurants wouldn't even bother with putting it on the menu because between the final course of a meal to dessert, when you make diners wait too long, desserts are just going to get skipped. There goes the extra income of a likely $12 to $15 worth of revenue.

Chocolate Soufflé pancakes with Strawberry Ice Cream and Caramelized Bananas

Try asking people to wait 30 minutes for their desserts to come out while awkward conversations at dinner table ensues. If you are on a lousy date, this will cut to the discontent right away for a bad tip. Yup, no server or wait staff will ever recommend this for dessert.

Luckily, I was able to find a dessert place in border between LA and Orange County that would dare to make people wait. In an aesthetics pleasing atmosphere with the burgeoning leon lights of a catchy slogan, this unassuming place started out as foam cheese tea seller. 

The array of Cheese foam tea and two of their popular coolers

Yeah, I don't know how foam cheese tea will sell, but they decided to be more focused and do more offering of latte and other mix drinks. That plaza apparently has two other boba tea shops with 4 more within a mile radius. Milk tea and smoothie shops in this town was fierce as there is a mentality of take no prisoners. With no luck, maybe the Soufflé pancakes can be the difference maker for this place.

In my case, I was just thrilled I can tried 4 different flavors of pancakes where it offers Matcha (with fillings), Chocolate, Earl Grey, and Original. Each comes with condiments of syrup, ice cream, caramelized bananas, mochi, or red beans on the platter.

I so look forward to other drinks as well besides the coffee and mixed drinks. Let's hope this place can set something new before copycats replicate because this is an unique shop with strong coffee presence. Desserts like this should be cherished. 

Like all Soufflé, it rises. You will only be disappointed when it flattens like a normal pancake.

Cafe D.er
17901 Pioneer Blvd
Ste L
Artesia, CA 90701