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House of pancakes

Fluffy pancakes to make you weep for home

The quest to find a comforting childhood staple leads INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL to Pancake House International

Best Taco In Town is eaten with Poor Boy Sauce

The Smoked Tinapa set was simply irresistible

Fiesta Taco Salad

FOR some people, the smell of ikan masin (salted fish) being fried induces a longing for good old simple kampung food cooked by grandma.

For me it’s the scent of freshly-made, golden pancakes with butter melting on top that transports me back to my childhood in the UK. Quick and simple fare, mum would occasionally whip it up for breakfast. At school, in Home Economics, it was one of the recipes that I was mistress of!

But since returning from England, my attempts at making pancakes have consistently produced flimsy, rather bland results that make me wonder how on earth I earned the accolade for the best pancakes in school!

So it came as no surprise that when invited to check out Pancake House International at Sunway Pyramid, my heart leapt in anticipation.

Walking into the outlet, I had to admit I was slightly taken aback. I had envisioned a cosy, homey eatery with dark wood everywhere and Laura Ashley-esque floral drapes. After all, it’s comfort food, you see.

What greeted me was a vibrant, modern outlet with a bright orange colour scheme, funky lighting, stylishly comfortable sofa and padded chairs and a whole load of circular spiral bling. I later find out that it’s all in keeping with its origins.

In the Philippines, more precisely, the colourful Manila of the 70s where it all began, the Pancake House was a sanctuary of sorts but not in the traditional sense.

It was where workaholics and people of leisure who had been gyrating to Barry White and the Village People till the wee hours, crawled in for a comforting breakfast. T

here, they revitalised their bodies with the wholesome goodness of pancakes and waffles, served with dainty trays of butter, jam and marmalade. When the craving grew for more than just comfort breakfast food, other favourite family dishes were added to the menu.

There are about 80 Pancake House International outlets in the Philippines where walls are adorned with film posters, as they open until the last show at the cinema is over. Often chosen as a venue for special occasions, the outlets are popular with families.

The Sunway outlet is a happening place for the young to chill out over a leisurely meal. The only blot for me was the incessantly thumping, loud music from speakers located, unfortunately, right outside the shop. It made conversation a real effort.

Contrary to its name, Pancake House (owned by the Pancake House Group of Companies and headed by Martin Lorenzo) offers more than just great pancakes. Aside from the golden brown pancakes and waffles, there are pasta and noodles, juicy steaks and burgers, chicken, refreshing salads and sandwiches and desserts.

Although I was dying to bite into the vision of gold that was the Caramel Banana Walnut Pancake dripping with banana syrup, I allowed decorum to prevail and instead enthusiastically dived into the outlet’s other recommended items.

The colourful Fiesta Taco Salad received a unanimous thumbs up from my photographer and I. The generous helping of kidney beans, crispy lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, nachos, and chunky chicken liberally sprinkled with cheese in a taco basket was awesome.

A personal favourite was the aptly named Best Taco In Town, paper-thin Mexican pancakes, folded and filled with ground beef, lettuce, onion and cheese and eaten with a beautiful dressing called the Poor Boy Sauce, which lent it a delightful sweet and sour taste.

A must-try is the Smoked Golden Tinapa, de-boned milkfish smoked to perfection and served with garlic rice, tomato and fried egg. The fish is imported from the Philippines.

When it was time for pancakes, I was thrilled to note the extensive offerings that ranged from corn and chocolate chips to peach, cheese and more. I opted for the popular Caramel Banana Walnut, which had a lot of texture and went really well with the banana syrup.

The lovely Blueberry pancake followed soon after and quite frankly, they both took my breath away.

The pancakes tasted fresh, fluffy and literally melted in the mouth!

Commissaries from the Philippines have been specially brought in to ensure that the standard of pancakes is on par with those back home.

Aside from Sunway Pyramid, Pancake House International, open daily from 10am to 10pm, also has a new outlet at the Pavilion.

PANCAKE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL
Sunway Pyramid,
Bandar Sunway, PJ.
Tel: 03 7491 0695
Level 1, Pavilion KL.
Tel: 03-2145 5591

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