Dessert had always been a cure to my mood, and having partners to enjoy it is more than I can ask. Elk, a compact cafe in Kyoto city center, is the place where I decided to have my mood recovered with my girls: Muthi, Wina, and Rika. The location is around Shijo Kawaramachi, Kyoto shopping district. To be exact: it is in Shinkyogoku area. I have always bought a crepes on the shop right beside the cafe and always wondering whether the pancakes in Elk is as delicious as it seems. Finally, I had a chance to try.
That day was Sunday, and Elk has only 34 seats inside its three stories building, so we had to line up before entering. The line was considerable, it took about 15 minutes before we entered. Elk serves a home-made fluffy pancake, means they made all the pancakes from scratch. A paper stick in the wall warned us due to such reason the time to serve the pancake probably will take quite a while. For us, it took about 15-20 minutes. It was OK because we had a good talk. But I guess it might be too long for someone who came alone.
Anyway, our drink came first. Look at these cute lattes! Muthi ordered Ice Hazelnut Latte (690yen), Rika ordered hot couverture chocolate milk (600yen), and I and Wina ordered cafe latte with art (300yen). If you come in weekdays you can order a 3D version of latte art!
And here is the pancakes. First, mine. After having a hard decision to choose whether Pancake with Baked Apple and Butter Cookie Royal Milk Tea Cream (1180yen) or Pancake with Special Caramel and Orange Sauce (1080yen), I finally chose the later. First impression on the first bite: the pancake dough is actually not as fluffy as I imagined, but I can feel the home-made taste of each elements in the plate. For me it was nice, but the sauce might be need more sweetness to fit my standard.
Second, Wina’s pancake: seasonal tiramisu (1200yen). The pancake and the coffee sauce tasted perfect but if I’m the one who eat it, I will need more coffee sauce. Wina looks happy anyway so I guess it’s fine. Third one is Rika’s: chocolate banana cookie (1380yen). A wrong combination for someone who cannot eat dessert too much, because banana will easily makes you full. Rika couldn’t finish her plate, so I and Wina joined forces to finish it. Hers is actually delicious. It was served with ice cream, not only cream like mine or wina’s. This one is perfect for those chocolate addict who cannot have their dessert without a touch of chocolate.
The last one is Muti’s: cream cheese brûlée and mix berry sauce (1280yen). I can say this is the best one of all the pancakes – it is always a good idea to combine pancake and cream cheese! It was served with maple sauce, ice cream, and fresh berries – a mix of freshness and creaminess! However Muti had to eat it slowly – probably too much cream cheese compared to her standard.
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| Pancake with special caramel and orange sauce (1080yen) |
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| Pancake with seasonal tiramisu (1200yen) |
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| Pancake with chocolate banana cookie (1380yen) |
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| Pancake with cream cheese brûlée and mix berry sauce (1280yen) |
I can say Elk’s pancake was good, but some of the topping needs a little bit more sweetness. The place was comfortably compact, and is nice to have your time spend with your girls – or even alone (they provide space for hitorisama). However the price was quite pricey, you might spend 1500-2000yen only to buy happiness from sweets.
PS: Elk also have a drink set along with pancakes during 10 AM – 6 PM. And for those who crave for some savory, they do have lunch set during 12PM – 2 PM. For more information, please check on their website below.
Elk Kyoto
595-5 Uradera-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 604-8041
Phone: 075-212-8221
Website: http://cafe-elk.com/
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10 AM – 9 PM
Details
Wi-fi: Not Available
Plug in: Not Available
Seats: 34 seats
Average spend: ¥1500-¥2000/person
Location
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