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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Gluten Free Pancake in Tokyo - Aloha Table natural Hiroo

Aloha Table natural opened in October 2014, as a branch of Aloha Table company that runs multiple Hawaiian-themed cafes and restaurants in Tokyo. I visited this cafe soon after its opening, but I never had time to write about it!


As you can tell from the name, the cafe strives to provide healthy natural foods, like organic vegetables and teas, caffeine-free chocolate, and smoothie. They also make MOCHIKO pancake, which happens to be gluten free! Mochiko is powder made of glutenous rice, often used to make small mochi (sticky rice cake).

You can choose go with plain stack of pancakes, or choose to add toppings like mix berry, coconut and mango, or caffeine-free chocolate and banana. All come with whipped soy cream and something like brown sugar syrup (I prefer butter and maple syrup, but I guess they are less healthy. sigh).

mochiko pancake with mixed berries
mochiko pancake with banana and caffeine-free chocolates

So how were these pancakes?
Texture - Like the sticky rice cake, they were more chewy than other pancakes I have had in the past. I even felt like they were thicker than they actually were. Mochiko tends to hold things together really well, so they don't crumble like typical gluten-free foods. Very firm, thick sponge.

Taste - They were rather plain (and I really wish I had that unhealthy butter and maple syrup...!), and these caffeine-free chocolates aren't sweet at all, in case you are wondering. So keep in mind that it may not taste like typical buttery pancakes. In this cafe, even ice cream isn't so sweet. So it is their style. They keep it healthy, natural, and plain. Very plain.

Volume - A lot! We struggled to finish the last piece. Mochi is quite filling, and you can feel that effect after the first one.

In all honesty, I prefer my pancake (recipe in the past post). But this could work as an healthy alternative.

The cafe is conveniently located only a couple of minutes walk from Hiroo metro station. It has comfortable seating arrangement, and is a lot spacious than some other cafes nearby.