They are famous for it and known as one of the original pioneers for the country’s now hot, new export - fluffy Japanese pancakes.

A recent trip to Yokohama took us to the Red Brick Warehouse along the waterfront that houses a scenic Bills location, with floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors on the patio side and a rustic red brick exterior, its a great spot to rest your feet after shopping the variety of shops and collectibles on the first and second floor.

The restaurant features large windows facing the outdoors, drawing in natural light. Comfortable booths outfitted with light leather seating lines one side of the restaurant, with light wooden tables in the center of the dining area. The right side of the restaurant features a patio with a beautiful water view on clear, sunny day.

Whether you want to enjoy a breakfast plate or a hearty lunch, remember to finish off with their infamous ricotta hotcakes. The hotcakes take 30 minutes to prepare, so it’s best to first enjoy a light lunch item and save some room to enjoy the hotcakes.

We highly recommend the open-faced steak sandwich on a slice of bread that was just the right portion and thickness to absorb the tasty steak juices mixed with the creamy, savoury sauce and topped with fresh coriander. The steak was cooked medium rare and sliced into strips for easy consumption, which we really appreciated (even food should be given much consideration to create an ‘ergonomic’ dish).

As we sat sipping our drinks the main feature finally made an appearance - the ricotta hotcakes topped with warm honeycomb butter with a side of banana. The texture is fluffy, with the exterior just cooked enough to give it a firm outer layer while the interior maintains a light, whipped texture. Biting into the hotcake, you will feel the small bites of honeycomb that has yet to be melted sticking to your tongue, and the tasty melted butter absorbed into the hotcake’s multitude of layers.

These ricotta hotcakes were done just right, with slight browning on the top and bottom; other Japanese pancakes tout extremely light top and bottom exteriors, but these almost appear unfinished and still a bit runny in the middle.

What’s your preference?