The original soufflé pancakes have a pat of butter, maple syrup and bacon. Photo: Tenele Conway.
When Bernard Lee and Estelle Torre put soufflé pancakes on the menu of their Greenway cafe, Bunny Beans, they weren’t an instant success.
Despite being a global trend, no one in Canberra was serving them, and when they didn’t immediately run out the door, Bernard was concerned.
“I remember starting to wonder if maybe there was a reason no one else was doing soufflé pancakes and whether customers simply didn’t like them.”
Confident in their recipe, which they spent months perfecting, Bernard and Estelle held their nerve, keeping the jiggly pancake towers on the menu until word spread and the people flocked in.
Bernard Lee and his business partner Estelle Torre are behind the popular soufflé pancakes. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Now, from Friday through Sunday each week, they are among the most popular menu items, with people keen to try the Japanese-meets-French take on pancakes.
For now, Bernard and Estelle have had to limit the service of this special item to three days a week, but have plans to roll them out in their Kippax cafe in the near future.
“Our soufflé pancakes require a lot of preparation and precision to get them right. During the weekdays, our kitchen team focuses on preparing and testing everything needed to deliver perfect soufflé pancakes for the weekend service.”
Bernard notes that the soufflé pancake menu includes staple flavours alongside rotating seasonal items. The current menu consists of three varieties: their best-seller, crème brûlée pancakes; a Ferrero Rocher-inspired version with a cascade of liquid chocolate flowing from the top of the tower; and the original version with maple syrup and bacon. The pancakes can also be customised with seasonal toppings such as strawberries and ice cream.
The flavours on offer are seasonal and changing. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Putting my best food-writer foot forward, I did my humble duty and tried them all, and I can vouch that the arduous recipe testing has paid off. Despite all the toppings, the pancakes somehow remain the hero of the dish. Their light, fluffy texture still has a pleasing density and bite, which can support all those toppings without being overwhelmed by them.
It’s also no surprise that crème brûlée is their most popular flavour. This thing is a showstopper, with its creamy brûléed topping perfectly complementing the fluffy pancakes.
If pancakes aren’t your thing, there is still something at Bunny Beans for you. Their okonomiyaki is one of the best I’ve had; cooked on a cast-iron plate, the edges and base are wonderfully crispy, and with the ability to top your okonomiyaki with your choice of smoked salmon, crispy chicken, wilted greens and mushrooms or soft shell crab, you can customise this to your heart’s content.
The Okinomiyaki is one of the best I’ve had. Photo: Tenele Conway.
The chicken-and-potato waffle topped with crispy chicken really surprised me. The combination of the savoury waffle, which is a little like a rosti, with the sweet maple syrup and ultra-crunchy fried chicken was a delight. If you’re more into the classics, there are eggs Benedict, bacon and egg rolls, and a big breakfast.
The soufflé pancakes are exclusive to Bunny Beans Greenway, located at 335 Anketell Street. Don’t forget, you can only pick them up from Friday through Sunday. The full menu is available 7 days a week. You can keep up with the changing menu via Instagram.
