You say pannekoeken, I say okonomiyaki

One of the most delicioso thangs here in the Netherlands has to be pannekoeken. Bigger than your face. Decadent as sin. Brimming with any amount of almonds, apples, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, or any other array of toppings/fillings. You can get savory ones too. But its the sweet ones, dusted generously with powdered sugar, I tell ya. The sweet ones FTW. Oh yeah. Zoet pannekoeken FTMFW.

There's also the petite version of the Dutch pancake, these little pillows of wonder, aptly named poffetjes.

Although if you want to get serious about savory pancakes, then there's okonomiyaki.



If you've never had this before you need to try it! A pancake stuffed with meat, cabbage, seafood, noodles, and potentially other goodies, it often comes with bonito flakes undulating on top, and a healthy slathering of bulldog sauce (think a much sweeter and tastier version of A1) and a good dollop of mayo.

Here I was, thinking I might be in a hinterland sorely lacking in some of the delights that I have so missed from my beloved city by the bay, okonomiyaki eateries being one of them. And yet...there's one in Amsterdam! It looks very promising indeed. Japanese Pancake World. What? A whole world, you say? Bring it!

Who wants to go? Give me a shout out. I've been dying for some good Japanese food. And this just might be the ticket...

And finally, it made me remember reading this great story, The Big Pancake, as a kid. It's like The Gingerbread Man: the remix.