16 Jan 2023
Auckland is home to some of the best fluffy pancakes in the country.
And luckily for you, we've done the hard yards and tried them all, just to find the best stacks worth your dollars.Domain and Ayr Café are famous for their fluffy 20-minute pancakes; served with a mixed berry compote, seasonal fruit, maple syrup and mascarpone. This dish covers all the essential flavours required for the ultimate pancake. These pancakes solidified Domain Ayr Café’s position in Auckland’s breakfast scene, they are truly outstanding and unearthly fluffy. It’s both aesthetically pleasing with the explosion of wonderful colours, and tastes divine. It’s perfectly balanced with the tart bite of berry, light and fluffy pancakes and sugar hit from the maple syrup. The pancake style is similar to the Japanese souffle pancake, each bite is like a flavourful cloud.
Tastea Alley is renowned for their signature Japanese fluffy soufflé pancakes. It takes a while to create the fluffy perfection but it’s worth the wait. Tastea Alley has six options available in their soufflé pancake range; brown sugar pearl (the crowd favourite), custard brûlée, matcha red bean, tiramisu Oreo, rose cheese, and pork floss seaweed. Decide between sweet or savoury and enjoy the pillowy pancake that arrives. In order to achieve the airy, cloud like pancake, the egg whites are beaten into a meringue then gently added to the rest of the batter. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the air escape from the pancake when you cut it open.
Dutch Delight encourages Kiwi’s to explore the flavourful delicacies of the low lands. Visiting Dutch Delight is like walking into a pancake lovers dream. With an endless menu of options, it’s hard to pick just one. Every pancake is whipped, ladled and cooked to fluffy perfection and takes up the entire plate. Some of the options available are; the traditional Italian tiramisu, the cheeky Dutch cherry brandy pancake, the rum raisin with whipped cream or the classic seasonal fruit with a dollop of ice cream on the side. If you’re open to trying something new then get the Dutch Delights speculaas pancake, made with Dutch windmill biscuits.
Two words: ricotta hotcakes. The obvious difference in ingredients being ricotta cheese, this provides an extra layer to the light and creamy perfection. The ricotta flavour is soft and blends amazingly with the batter, giving the finished product an airy and fluffy rise. Then it’s paired with a selection of seasonal fruits to balance out the sweetness. Currently you’ll be treated to tart blueberries. Then Bambina adds a fine sprinkle of icing sugar and seeds, mascarpone, beautiful edible flowers and puffed millets (crunchy grain). And of course, you can’t forget the maple syrup.
Hello Friends + Allies are raising the standards for pancakes all across Auckland. Fluffy, check. Made with a red velvet batter, check. This dish takes on the consistency of an airy cake that melts in your mouth. These hotcakes are seriously out of this world. Served with a cherry mascarpone, lemon curd, meringue, berry coulis, chocolate soil and Persian fairy floss. There are so many stand-out components in this dish, it’s a flavourful journey you’ll never forget. You also have the option to add bacon into the mix. Hello Friends + Allies have created a well-balanced sweet and sour masterpiece with their red velvet hotcakes. If you’re looking for an indulgent brekkie then this is the place to visit.