Everybody loves pancakes. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. I think pretty much every culture has their own variation on a pancake; Wikipedia has a list of all the different types of pancakes served throughout the world, and it’s quite impressive.
When you think about it, it’s odd that we consider pancakes to be breakfast when really, they’re obviously dessert. I mean, “cake” is right there in the name. They’re doused in syrup. They’re dessert.
I had the misfortune of coming to Penang right during Chinese New Year. It’s a pretty big deal here, apparently, because once it starts, the city basically shuts down for a couple of days.
It’s tough to find anywhere to eat during this time, because if there’s a restaurant you want to check out, odds are that it’s closed. It’s way, way too hot to walk around until you find one that’s open.
After eating a tasty plate of noodles at Koon Kee Wan Tan Mee, I couldn’t help but notice the vendor selling tasty looking peanut pancakes in front of the restaurant.
I like peanuts. I like pancakes. Trying this out was a no-brainer.
Here’s a warning: the line at Tian Jin Flaky Scallion Pancake is probably going to be long, and it’s definitely going to move slowly. It was quite long when I showed up at around 9:30 on a Monday morning, and it was just as long when I finally got my pancake.
Here’s a very pleasant surprise, and something I hadn’t even heard of until I came to Bangkok: khanom bueang, a Thai dessert that consists of thin, crispy pancakes with a generous spread of a creamy Italian-meringue-like substance, along with other fillings (the one I tried had egg yolk threads, though coconut was also an option).
You know you’re in the right city when you can just randomly stumble across a place that’s this delicious.
How delicious, you ask? Extremely delicious.
Pretty much every country has their version of a pancake (everybody loves pancakes). Japan’s is called okonomiyaki — a savoury pancake that’s filled with various meats and veggies. It’s an Osaka specialty, so yeah, obviously I had to try it while I was here.
I was trying to go to a bistro called Le Comptoir du Relais; it was completely full (it almost never occurs to me to make reservations, so this actually happens a lot). They do, however, have a small take-out window with sandwiches and pastries. I figured this was a pretty good opportunity to try a ham and butter sandwich, which is supposedly the second most popular sandwich in France.
(The first? Burgers. Everyone loves burgers.)
Hey, you know the pancakes that you grew up loving? Yeah, they’re trash. The Austrians have perfected the pancake; we all need to get with the program and follow their lead.