In search of the perfect pancake

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Opening the curtains this morning, it was a relief to see the sun out for our last day in the Netherlands. Alex and Peter head back to the States tomorrow while I’m moving onward to Belgium. After running at such a clip the last week, we didn’t have any definitive plans so got off to a late start.

We were in search of the perfect pancake, a well-known Dutch delicacy. After much Google research, we opted for a place called the Pancake Bakery. Admittedly, partly it was the name. But what about the tag line? “The best pancakes in town.” They better be.

Inside the ground floor restaurant, we were given a menu listing two full pages of pancakes. There were pancakes stuffed with every possible ingredient — apples, nuts, mushrooms, leeks, cheese. It was a bit overwhelming.

With much debate, we opted for one sweet (banana and Nutella) and one savory (mushrooms, cheese and ham). While waiting, we investigated the stroop, a thick traditional Dutch syrup. Then, they arrived. The sweet pancake was expectedly delicious, the chocolate mixing with the syrupy bananas. The real surprise though was the savory — which was essentially like eating a pancake and egg-less omelet. That’s not a very good description. You’ll just have to trust us here.

The rest of the afternoon, we slowly wandered the city’s many canals and tried not to get too lost. We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our final hours here.

Back at the hotel, it was one final trip to the sauna before returning to Rembrandtplein for dinner at the Old Bell. We split a huge appetizer sampler of delectable fried foods, like chicken fingers and dumplings. Not the most healthful dinner — but we were still on vacation.