Gluten Free Crepe in Harajuku

Harajuku is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tokyo for fashion and anything kawaii (cute). Though I barely survive walking through the busy Takeshita Street, the young local enjoy shopping, while holding crepes on their hands.

Harajuku by David Kosmos Smith

In early 2014, yet another crepe shop opened in Harajuku, and finally this time, it was a gluten free one!

Located at a small side street of Takeshita Street, this small shop specializes in crepe made of rice flour. Oh, just to clarify, when you talk about crepes in Japan, it may be (quite) different from authentic French crêpes. We are usually talking about things like this:

Last time I visited, they still didn't have English menu, but they have pretty basic menu. If you are not sure, you can probably go for banana + whip cream + chocolate... The rice crepe seems to take a bit more time than wheat crepe, but it's worth the wait. This soft and slightly chewy crepe is an excellent snack after a light meal. (It's definitely more filling than wheat crepe, so be ready!)

Check out its Facebook page and add it to your travel itinerary. 

Gluten Free pancakes options

It's been too long since I updated this blog, but we are still trying hard with gluten free life in Japan!

Today's topic is pancakes.

"Pancake Mountain" by SteffanyZphotgraphy

Last year, one of our friends brought us back "XO Baking Co. Pancake and Waffle Mix" from Canada, after his business trip.  We loved this easy & sweet (hint of vanilla flavor!) pancakes, but unfortunately it seems it's a bit hard to get this in Japan.

XO Baking Co. Pancake and Waffle Mix

Then we tried Japanese rice flour based pancake mix. Sadly, we were spoiled with XO's sweet vanilla flavor, so we felt like we were eating cardboard :(  I think it was probably because there was a bit too much baking soda in the mix.

Well, if the ready-made pancake mix doesn't work, I should just make it from scratch. This simple cookpad recipe turned out pretty amazing! All you need is

Rice Flour 100g
Sugar / cane sugar 30g
Baking powder 4g
1 egg
Milk 80g
Oil 1Table spoon

Try not to pour too much batter in the pan -- you'll get the right texture when it's thinner. I love using cane sugar to avoid too much sweetness and to get mild but enough sweetness. We are hoping to try this with a bit of vanilla essence next time.

Happy cooking!