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| - I've been very eager to try brunch at Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus since I first heard and read about their sweet and authentic Dutch Pancakes. For those who don't know, Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus is frequently mentioned in Calgary's top breakfast place lists and is considered a must try by most Calgary foodies. They've even been featured on Global TV and the Food Network. So you can imagine my excitement when I visited this last weekend :).
Located just off Crowchild in the Community of North Glenmore you'll find Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus amongst other businesses in the Lincoln Park Shopping Centre. This location is pretty unassuming and you wouldn't expect to find a renowned Pancake Restaurant here, but it was clear we had the right place because we were greeted with a short line-up around 10:00am this last Sunday. I put our names down and despite being very busy the host was confident that he'd have us seated shortly. Sure enough within 15 minutes a table was ready to seat the 5 of us. The décor here is a bit sporadic and homier than anything else, but the Dutch element is definitely present, you'll see the cliche wooden shoes right as you enter ;). They even sell some Dutch giftware and snacks which I thought was a nice touch. Other than that though, I personally didn't think the décor was anything special and they were pretty heavy on the color blue.
The menu was much larger than I was expecting, I was expecting a focus on just sweet dessert style pannenkoekens, but they had both sweet, savoury and hybrid varieties. In fact they had over 40 pre-designed ready-to-order options and even a build-your-own option. Wow! If you're not big on pancakes they have soups, salads, omelettes, sandwiches and more. Their beverage list is quite large as well and includes a significant alcoholic drink selection as well. One thing that I thought was cool, is they include a biscuit with coffee or tea, this was delicious and added to the experience. The sauce and syrup at the table also appear to be of dutch origin. They even include some history on pannenkoekens and the restaurant history itself in the menu; it's always interesting to read about new things!
When it came to ordering we all went for the pannenkoekens! 2 of us went with the sweet varieties and the other 3 went with savoury. I honestly don't do well with large menus; I find them overwhelming and tougher to pick something from. So rather than let myself get frustrated I quickly noticed they had a "Black Forest" or "Zwart Woud" style pannenkoeken and being a big fan of black forest cake it was the obvious decision. Plus it was listed in their "specialty" section and is the pannenkoek featured on their menu cover and gift card, definitely seemed like the safest bet! When our order came out, mine was easily the awe of the table, it looked every bit as good as it did in the picture and slightly better in person. Featuring warm cherries, ice cream, whipped cream, Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) in a chocolate cup and chocolate sauce, how could you not be happy? I asked the server if I should pour the brandy over the pannenkoek and she said she preferred shooting it and eating the meal separate. After trying a sip it seemed like the wiser choice as I didn't want to ruin the sweet decadence of my dish :). I was happy I did because the dish was awesome without it! I loved trying parts on their own and then blending them together, it was an awesome flavour combination that shifted from heavy on the cherries to light on the whipped cream, and with the ice cream you had the shifts of warm to cold. Awesome!
The sweet pannenkoekens were easily the winners at the table, the 3 who had ordered savoury were actually a bit neutral about the whole experience, one even commented it was dry. Next time I'll have to try a savory pannenkoek for myself to make up my own opinion. Service was a bit slow to take our order and bill us, but all-in-all it was a great experience and I'll be happy to come again!
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