Hi Maury,
Where do I go to find the best Japanese-style soufflé pancakes in Boston? I recently returned from a trip to Japan and have been craving the unique pancakes I had while there. Yelp has been little help so I’d love to know if you encountered any during your time there.
-Austin from Boston
For a town not well publicized as being a hub of Japanese cuisine, there is one particular spot in Boston that will blow you away if you’re looking for Japanese-style soufflé pancakes. On the corner of Beach St & Washington St lies THE gem of the Boston high end eatery scene. I’m talking of course about the home of Yuuto & Himari Ito.
Don’t be deterred if you have a difficult undertaking finding the location, because it isn’t properly labeled, there’s no information on Yelp, and when you do call, they aren’t very helpful. The key lies in the fact that this is just a normal home. Yuuto is a computer programer working remotely for IBM, and Himari sells her home-made jewelry on the internet. What this adds up to, is a couple who is almost always home, meaning they are imminently accessible. These pancakes are truly special not because of a super secret family recipe, so much as that the recipe is being executed under extreme duress. The Ito’s are strongly opposed to making this sweet treat for the casual passersby, so to get your mouth around the best meal in town, you’ll have to forcibly infiltrate their home and confidently threaten to example the fragility of life, unless they make you these pancakes.
Most of the eatery recommendations I dole out just involve making a reservation months in advance; waiting in a long line; or solving a scavenger hunt put in place by the city’s hippest new chef, who only serves to those who promise to help him figure out more details on the man who murdered his mother when he was but a boy. But being beholden to great art requires true sacrifice, and in this instance, getting your hands dirty is a duty to your tastebuds. You havent truly lived until you’ve eaten a flapjack flavored not only with cinnamon directly imported from the Japanese mountainside, but also with the tears of a woman who is hastily being forced to sort out her beliefs on an afterlife.
You’ll need to arm yourself in advance of the break in. The Ito’s have been forced to adapt as more and more people have discovered the stakes to obtaining the fluffiest pancakes that can be made with human hands. They’ve begun wearing chainmail vests year-round, bedazzling their apartment with hanging swords, and completing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training in the event that a patron needs to be shucked out the window. Our latest intel has informed us that they still may be vulnerable to high caliber ammo, or poison. We here at the Ogre are staunchly anti-gun, so I cannot endorse that manner of violence, but believe that posing as delivery people wielding spiked cakes might yield the highest return.
The trick is to pick a poison that won’t render the victim paralyzed, as you’ll need them working; and one that lasts longer than the 40 minutes necessary to complete the cooking of the pancakes. Have an antidote ready, as well as your deep commanding voice, since you’ll need to give off a confident persona in order to scare the couple enough to do your bidding. Be careful though overdo it where they’re shaking with terror as they cook. That could lead to some pretty nasty accidents, and you don’t want anyone hurt (long term). The psychological damage will heal with minimum scar tissue, but be sure to end with a reminder that you’ll be back with a vengeance if they ever decide to track you down. It helps curtail any thought of future counter attacks, ensuring you don’t have to stay on high alert for the next shoe to drop.
I am remiss not to point out, that it also isn’t exceedingly necessary to find a poison. Only if you want to be known for your thoroughness. But you really could just get by lying about them being poisoned, which would also reduce your prison sentence tremendously, if you were to be captured. Do make sure though, that you have a working knowledge of which poison you’re telling them you’re using, along with the corresponding antidote, as they’ve been faked out before, and seriously know their stuff.
Don’t worry about having to bring any materials; they are constantly stocked with pancake materials in the event they might get dropped in on, for the one time they were out of eggs led to the very nasty end of their threesome partner, Yusuke. Do be sure to tip them handsomely for their trouble, and you will be asked to do the dishes yourself, which is the least you could do considering the ordeal you’ve put them through. In the event of a premature bust, where you are captured by the police, we only ask that you refrain from mentioning this post, and be sure to write us from your cell to let us know of any possible changes that might help the next craving couple score those magical cakes.
