Five of the best: Tastiest flipping pancakes

04 March 2015 - 02:00 By Kim Maxwell
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SWEET SPOT: Birds Cafe
SWEET SPOT: Birds Cafe

The better the batter for the tastiest flipping pancakes in town

Birds Cafe

Two pan-flipped pancakes are made to order here at breakfast, lunch or teatime. Quality fillings include cinnamon sugar or proper maple syrup with homemade bacon. After sampling a creamy 70% Lindt chocolate-and-Nutella pancake, I recommend sharing - one pancake was sufficiently filling. Bree Street, Cape Town. 021-426-2534

For the love of yummyness

At counter seats at the V&A Market On the Wharf, pancakes are made to order daily. Henrij Twigge's team serves the same menu at the Crêperie de Bonneterie stall at Woodstock's Neighbourgoods Market. Adjusting the recipe to local tastes, his sugar-free crêpes use nuttywheat flour, formed into rectangles over creative sweet and savoury fillings. www.marketonthewharf.co.za

La Rozell

Breton Thomas Le Clech is a French lecturer during the week, and people queue for his traditional sweet crêpes on Saturdays.

"My mother was a crêpe maker too," he explains. "I make crêpe on the Billig, scraping it with a wooden rozell."

On the savoury side, Le Clech makes the only buckwheat galettes in town. Try his "full house" galette of cracked egg, cheddar and Parma ham, with tomato and rocket topping. Oranjezicht City Farm Market. 079-700-1274

The famous pancake house

These signature Dutch fluffy, soufflé-style sweet and savoury pancakes were much loved in the 1990s. Wilma Botha and daughter Odette recently resurrected the family business, and now co-own this popular tourist eatery. Although pricier, they have a following for pancakes crammed with banana in Muscadel, or chicken livers in cream sauce. Huguenot Street, Franschhoek. 021-876-4788

The wicked waffle

Belgian Gino Adriaensen started producing traditional waffles in Knysna, and crêpes were a natural progression. His mixture includes peanut oil for earthiness, but otherwise it is the same recipe used by the French and South Africans. Sweet fillings include cinnamon sugar, Belgian milk chocolate, fruit and Nutella. Bay Harbour Market (Friday night, Saturday and Sunday), Hout Bay. 082-674-0182

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