A family working together in a pizza-making workshop at Roy's Family Cafe

Recipes from Our Kitchen

The dishes we love most deserve to be made at home. Here are the recipes our team is proudest of — simple, honest, and full of flavor.

Our Kitchen Stories

Food That Brings Families Together

At Roy's Family Cafe, we believe recipes are living things — they get passed down, adapted, and made personal with each family that tries them. The recipes below come straight from our kitchen team. We've written each one to be achievable at home, without specialist equipment, and with ingredients you can find at any Japanese supermarket.

We invite you to try them, make them your own, and share the results with us. Food tastes better when the stories behind it are shared too.

Recipe 01

Fluffy Japanese Pancakes

Prep: 15 min Cook: 20 min Serves: 3–4 Difficulty: Easy

These are not your average pancakes. Japanese-style soufflé pancakes are cloud-soft, jiggly, and impossibly tall. The secret is in whipping the egg whites separately and folding them gently into the batter. Our version is slightly simplified for home cooking but delivers the same extraordinary result. Serve them the moment they come off the pan — they're at their best warm and fresh.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons cake flour (or all-purpose flour, sifted)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons caster (fine) sugar
  • Neutral oil or butter for the pan
  • To serve: maple syrup, whipped cream, seasonal berries

Method

1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then fold gently until just combined — don't overwork the batter or your pancakes will be tough.
2
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer until foamy. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. The whites should hold their shape when you lift the beater.
3
Using a large spatula, gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites in two additions, using slow, careful movements to preserve as much air as possible. A few white streaks remaining are perfectly fine.
4
Heat a non-stick frying pan over the lowest possible heat and lightly grease with oil or butter. Spoon the batter into tall mounds (approximately 3–4 tablespoons each), placing them with plenty of space between them. Cover with a lid and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops look just barely set.
5
Carefully flip each pancake with a wide spatula, cover again, and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup, a cloud of whipped cream, and fresh berries. Watch them jiggle — that's the sign you've done it right.
Roy's Tip: Keep the heat very low throughout — patience is the key to height. Rushing with higher heat will flatten your pancakes and cook the outside before the inside sets.
Recipe 02

Roy's Homemade Miso Soup

Prep: 10 min Cook: 15 min Serves: 4 Difficulty: Easy

Miso soup is one of Japan's most comforting daily rituals. At Roy's, we make ours from scratch using a simple kombu and bonito dashi — the foundation that gives everything its gentle, savory depth. This is the version we serve with our Japanese Breakfast Set every single morning. Once you make dashi from scratch, you won't go back to granules.

Ingredients

  • 800ml cold water
  • 10g dried kombu (kelp)
  • 15g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
  • 3 tablespoons white miso paste (shiro miso)
  • 150g silken tofu, cut into small cubes
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • Optional: wakame seaweed (dried, soaked in water)

Method

1
Place the kombu and cold water into a medium saucepan. Leave to soak for at least 20 minutes (or up to an hour if you have time — this draws out more flavor). Place over medium-low heat and slowly bring toward a simmer. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu and discard it.
2
Bring the kombu stock to a full boil, then add the bonito flakes. Remove from heat immediately and let them steep for 3–4 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve, discarding the flakes. You now have a beautiful, clear dashi — the backbone of Japanese cooking.
3
Return the dashi to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the tofu cubes and soaked wakame (if using). Warm gently — do not let it boil at this stage. Place the miso paste in a small strainer or ladle, lower it into the hot broth, and dissolve it gently by stirring with chopsticks. Never boil miso — it loses both flavor and beneficial probiotics.
4
Ladle into warm bowls, garnish generously with sliced spring onion, and serve immediately. Miso soup is at its best the moment it's made — the flavors are at their most vibrant and aromatic right away.
Roy's Tip: Experiment with different miso types. White miso is gentle and slightly sweet — perfect for morning. Red miso (aka miso) has a deeper, saltier flavor, wonderful in the colder months. A blend of both is the choice of many Kyoto households.
Recipe 03

Matcha Banana Smoothie

Prep: 5 min Cook: none Serves: 2 Difficulty: Very Easy

This is one of our most-requested recipes. The grassy bitterness of matcha balances beautifully with the natural sweetness of banana, and the result is a smoothie that's both energizing and calming — the best of both worlds. It's become a morning staple for many of our regulars, and we're delighted to share exactly how we make it.

Ingredients

  • 1 large ripe banana (frozen for extra creaminess)
  • 1 teaspoon ceremonial or culinary-grade matcha powder
  • 200ml oat milk or whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • A small handful of ice cubes
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon almond butter for richness

Method

1
If you haven't frozen your banana, peel it and break it into chunks. Fresh banana works fine, but frozen banana gives the smoothie a wonderfully thick, ice cream-like texture without watering it down with too much ice.
2
Sift the matcha powder into the blender first (this prevents clumping), then add the banana, milk, honey, ice, and almond butter if using. Blend on high speed for 45–60 seconds until completely smooth and frothy.
3
Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately. For a beautiful presentation, dust a pinch of extra matcha powder over the top through a small sieve. The contrast of the pale green smoothie with the deeper green dusting is very Roy's.
Roy's Tip: Use ceremonial grade matcha if you can find it — the flavor is significantly more rounded and less bitter than culinary grade. A good quality matcha makes all the difference in this simple recipe.
Tea Time Traditions
A multi-generational family sharing tea time at Roy's Family Cafe

The Art of Sharing Tea

There's something timeless about three generations gathered around a table, hands wrapped around warm cups, stories flowing as freely as the tea. At Roy's Family Cafe, tea time is more than a menu item — it's a philosophy.

We offer a dedicated afternoon tea service between 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM, featuring a rotating selection of Japanese teas, herbal infusions, and small accompanying sweets. Grandparents, parents, and little ones sit together, slow down, and connect over the simple pleasure of a shared pot.

If you'd like to recreate a version of this at home, try our Matcha Banana Smoothie recipe for the children and brew a pot of hojicha for the adults. It's a combination that has worked beautifully in our cafe for years.

Share Your Creation

Made One of Our Recipes?

We'd love to hear about it. Send us a note at the contact page — tell us how it turned out, what you changed, or what you're hoping to see in our next recipe. Your kitchen stories inspire ours.

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