I remember trying dorayaki in my first months of being in Japan. Used to the much sweeter treats of the United Kingdom, I was so confused by the mild sweetness of the anko (red bean paste) sandwiched between two pancakes that it was years before I came to appreciate the classic — or so I thought — treat.
By that time, I had come to associate dorayaki with traditional wagashi (Japanese confectionery) like nerikiri (mixed dough molded into shapes) and yōkan (jellied red bean paste and agar). But unlike those desserts with much longer histories, dorayaki only came into being in the past 150 years or so — and whenever I looked, it seemed there were two shops consistently popping up as the supposed Tokyo originators: Usagiya and Baikatei.
If your image of dorayaki involves a dollop of gently sweet paste sandwiched between two thick pancakes, that is certainly what you’ll find at Usagiya.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.