# The Dutch Baby at Original Pancake House

> The original American pancake house that started Dutch Baby. On the 5F of Ariake Garden City, with its 'towering wall' shape and the simple lemon-butter-powdered-sugar finish.

Date: 2024-09-27

Tags: Pancake, Dutch Baby, Ariake, Original, Classic, USA, Souffle, Lemon, Butter, Sweets

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The American classic known as the originator of the Dutch Baby: "**Original Pancake House**". The signature is of course the Dutch Baby. Fluffy souffle-style pancakes are also on the menu, but if you've come this far, the first pick is clearly the Dutch Baby. A staffer brings butter, lemon, and powdered sugar, and performs the topping in front of you — the dish's real performance starts after it arrives at the table.

![](https://img.wiredxeco.com/jjj-tokyo/original-pancake-house/38d5e3043394e4d8c17738aabfb21067.webp)

The Dutch Baby looks quite different from anything you'd imagine when someone says "pancake." **The outer rim stands up like a wall and the middle caves in like a caldera** — normal pancake references don't apply. I suspect nobody gets one of these without stopping to photograph it first.

![](https://img.wiredxeco.com/jjj-tokyo/original-pancake-house/10f3672039d85ef5a41e9ba2423b0db2.webp)

The dough is thin, with a strange texture somewhere between a crepe and a thin omelet. The outer wall is **crisp and airy**, the sunken base is **moist and slightly chewy** — the fun is getting two patterns on the same disc. It occupies its own niche, like you added a crepe, a choux shell, and a hotcake together and divided by three.

![](https://img.wiredxeco.com/jjj-tokyo/original-pancake-house/0a665557d3022a5d2571332e337382e6.webp)

The dough itself has almost no sweetness — **the egg character comes through clearly**. Adding the tableside butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar layers lemon tartness, butter richness, and refined sugar sweetness onto one plate, closing in on the feel of a sweet-and-sour crepe. Surprisingly, this simple subtraction approach doesn't get boring.

![](https://img.wiredxeco.com/jjj-tokyo/original-pancake-house/25ee662e2928d141663c66d832e1a994.webp)

Japan's "pancake" instinct is sweet and heavy with syrup; the Dutch Baby is nearly the opposite. No sweetness in the dough, and minimalist toppings — whipped butter, lemon, powdered sugar. **People who love crepes and galettes tend to fall for this one instantly**. Worth a try next time you're at Ariake Garden City.