O.C. Chef Masters Souffle Pancakes & The Line Is Out The Door

IRVINE, CA — Souffle pancakes — the "fluffy cloud" dish poised to shine as the brunch star for 2020 — has solidified its place in Orange County with a permanent spot on the menu at the Burnt Crumbs restaurant in Irvine.

Locals can thank Burnt Crumbs Chef Paul Cao, who spent months obsessively tinkering with his recipe for the Asian-inspired, finicky, jiggly stack o' cakes before getting it just right.

"The pancakes are a fast-growing food trend on Instagram, where nearly 50,000 photos are tagged #soufflepancake," according to The New York Times, which traced the dish to roots in Japan.

The NY Times described the delicate creation: "An airy vanilla batter is cooked in a pan, which leaves it lightly toasted on each side and cloudlike in the center. As wobbly as fresh silken tofu and served in tall stacks, each cake manages to maintain its structure, even after it’s dressed with toppings like matcha custard sauce, chewy boba pearls, fresh berries or cascades of maple syrup and melted butter."

From technique to timing to ingredients, souffle pancakes are notoriously difficult to make, say those in the know.

"Get any one of those elements wrong, and you wind up with pancakes that deflate into flattened discs or worse, undercooked pancakes with a wet, eggy texture in the middle," according to Burnt Crumbs folks.

But after a "soft launch" last weekend during Burnt Crumbs' brunch — with a line out the door, running out of eggs by noon and nearly 500 soufflé pancakes served — the eatery has added three versions of the bouncy dish to its menu in Irvine.

Full, weekend brunch service kicks off Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Burnt Crumbs in the Los Olivos Shopping Center at 8549 Irvine Center Drive in Irvine.

Souffle pancake options include: Original, whipped butter and syrup, $10; Berry Compote, with house whipped cream, $12; and Strawberry Cream, with fresh strawberries, $12.

Brunchers also can enjoy more traditional, morning meals as eggy breakfast sandwiches on house-made biscuits or warm brioche buns, breakfast burritos with choice of sausage, bacon, pastrami hash or carne asada, as well as eggs, any style, and even a breakfast salad.

Burnt Crumbs, which began with a food truck, has a restaurant in Huntington Beach, along with the spot in Irvine. Souffle pancakes at brunch ... for now ... are served only in Irvine, management said.

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