Our reporter hops on a plane to Paris to check out Princess Crêpe, a Japanese-style creperie in the City of Lights!

In Paris, France, it’s as easy to spot a shop selling crepes it is to find a tanning salon in Tokyo’s mecca of youth culture Shibuya–they’re virtually everywhere. However, out of all of the classic Parisian creperies to choose from, there’s one that seems to have sprung up from an entirely different dimension of cuteness altogether.

According to locals who live in the area, the tiny eatery is continuously basking in the love of “girls who have a weakness for cute things and otaku living in France’s capital.” Since we never pass up a chance to see a famous kawaii [“cute”] place outside of Japan, we sent our Japanese reporter Yuuichiro Wasai to check things out.

Princess Crepe is located is the Le Marais historical district of Paris, where many aristocrats used to live in bygone days. The outside of the shop is positively overflowing with girlish, kawaii charm, so first-time visitors will have no problem picking it out on the street.

If, like our dashingly rugged Wasai, you’re not exactly the cutesy type yourself, you might feel a bit hesitant to step inside. But there’s no reason to feel awkward–everyone is welcome there, and no one even batted an eye when our man entered with all of his decidedly non-kawaii, masculine charm. In fact, he felt so immediately welcome that he wanted to call out, “I’m home!” in Japanese.

Actually, he should have, since the staff member was ethnically Japanese and spoke the language fluently. Okay, maybe there was some kind of magic in the air, because Wasai, even as a full-grown man, suddenly felt like squealing out in delight!

Taking a look around, Wasai was overwhelmed by the pastel pink interior. He couldn’t quite decide if “fancy,” “lolita-style,” or “moe-style” best described the vibe…but a lovely pink it certainly was.

The interior decorations included moe anime figurines and adorable plushies. Even the staff member was wearing a Sweet Lolita-style dress, adorned with frills and hearts. It was hard to believe this was Paris, and not some cute little cafe tucked away in the side streets of Harajuku, Tokyo.

▼ A large heart-shaped window looks out onto the street.

▼ Anime figurines galore

Now, onto the food! The sweet crepe that Wasai ordered was gorgeously crafted into the shape of a flower bouquet, with a healthy dollop of fluffy whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The entire creation melted in his mouth and vanished in the blink of an eye.

By the way, Wasai points out that many Parisian creperies use buckwheat flour to make savory, pancake-like treats called galettes. Princess Crepe, however, uses regular wheat flour to craft its sweet crepes, which are the most familiar version to most Japanese palates.

All in all, Wasai highly recommends Princess Crepe to both people who have an intrinsic interest in kawaii culture and to those who have never experienced such a concentration of “cute” before. Even if you’re the self-proclaimed manliest of men, you should try it out–you might just surprise yourself!

Cafe information
Princess Crepe
Address: 3 rue des Ecouffes 75004 Paris
Open: 1 p.m.-7 p.m.
Website

Images © RocketNews24
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