Restaurant Chef Serves Up Detailed Pancake Art

At some point, we've probably all tried to make a nonconventional shape out of pancake batter and considered ourselves quite the artist. Instagram user Keisuke makes pancake art that puts your lopsided heart to shame with detailed depictions of Japanese characters like Pikachu from Pokemon, Sakura from Cardcaptors and the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

For those not into anime, the pancake master—who works at an Italian restaurant in Japan called La Ricetta, in the town of Zama—also creates flapjacks resembling animals, celebrities, and Western pop culture icons.

Armed with just a squeeze bottle and nonstick pan, the chef is able to create edible works of art. There is no food coloring involved—just batter and soy milk. His trick to creating pictures with varying shades: Make the outline and fine details first, as shown in the video above, so that those elements cook the longest and become the darkest shade. For the final, lightest layer, Keisuke then takes the pan off the flame to ensure it stays a light, fluffy color. You can check out more of his work on Instagram or YouTube.

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