Shrove Tuesday is here, better known perhaps as Pancake Day! Images of pancakes fill Instagram feeds, oozing with syrup, burnished with blueberries, (almost) Biblical in status. As a foodie hotspot, Islington has no shortage of eateries with their frying pans at the ready. Whether you’re a Crêpe-connoisseur or a fan of the classic diner-style pancake, it’s time to tuck in.
The experimental one: The Breakfast Club
Chefs at The Breakfast Club – champions of the morning meal – famously go big for Pancake Day, creating a bespoke menu of sweet and savoury offerings inspired by American–flavours. Those with a sweet-tooth should opt for the PB&J: a sugar overload including frosting, peanut butter, jam and chocolate sauce. However, the ultimate option for braver diners is The Big Stack – a burger-pancake hybrid with all the trimmings (including a sprinkle of sesame seeds). Think you can eat twelve pancakes in under twelve minutes? If you beat The Breakfast Club, the dish is on the house. If not, they’ll donate the profits to a local charity. Game on.
31 Camden Passage, N1 8EA, Open: 8am – 10pm
The elegant one: Granger & Co.
Australian eatery Granger & Co. will be flipping pancakes all day long on Shrove Tuesday. Never shy of adding their own twist to the classics, the signature recipe this year uses ricotta for guaranteed fluffiness. Ever elegant, the pancakes will be served with a choice of banana or strawberries (we want both), honeycomb butter and maple syrup. Mouth-watering. The bright Clerkenwell outpost is always buzzing – stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner for a stylish Shrove Tuesday.
Clerkenwell Green, 50 Sekforde Street, EC1R 0HA, Open: 8am – 11pm
The Francophile one: Crêpeaffaire
Crisp, wafer-thin and buttery – crêpes are quite possibly France’s greatest export. Keep it sweet and simple with lemon and sugar, Nutella or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Slightly less elegant but arguably even more delicious, are the mini pancakes which are small and fluffy with more chocolate topping than base. Vegan and gluten-free varieties are available for those who can’t indulge in the traditional recipe. Plus, pancakes in bed are not the stuff of drooling-dreams: Crêpeaffaire can come to you on Deliveroo.
51-53 Camden Passage, N1 8EA, Open: 8am – 8pm
The Middle-Eastern one: Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi – the chef who famously added pomegranate seeds to the London culinary repertoire – is now the byword for Middle-Eastern cuisine. His Islington institution, therefore, serves pancakes with nod to those flavours. Order the Dutch baby pancake from the breakfast menu (served from 8am–12pm). Cooked in a special skillet, they come with rhubarb, blood orange, star anise sugar and mixed nuts. An unorthodox combination? Perhaps, but guaranteed to be great.
287 Upper St, N1 2TZ, Open: 8am–10.30pm
The simple-but-delicious one: The Front Room Café
Don’t mess with a good thing: this is the pancake-mantra at The Front Room Café. Their menu humbly states ‘scrumptious hot pancakes with yoghurt and fruit’ – no sugar-overdose, no funky flavours: just deliciousness, plain and simple. This dish is served until 5pm so can be eaten at leisure. Enjoy with a cup of coffee while remembering the sweeter things in life.
158 Tollington Park, N4 3AD, Open 8am–6pm
