for sacharobehmed, everyday is pancake day

Four weeks into term and you are probably, much like me, sick of eating student food, cooking that same old pasta dish or microwaveable Sainsbury’s ready meal.  I’ve been trying to hold on to the memory of good food like only my mama can make. A trip to ‘My Old Dutch’ for a ‘pannekoek’(Dutch pancake) always goes some way to ease my cravings.

Just a quick walk up Kingsway to Holborn makes it extremely convenient (thankfully, in this cold weather).  Situated opposite the bus stop by Sainsbury’s, it’s bright orange exterior means it’s fairly impossible to miss. The close location of High Holborn is a bonus for those such as myself, prone to getting lost in an unfamiliar wider London and aggravated by ridiculous travel fares.
    
The décor is fairly generic – an attempt has been made to give it a ‘Dutch’ feel with country-esque pine tables but this aside, nothing really stands out.  The interior is neither bedazzling nor offensive – but it needn’t try either way. This is the kind of restaurant where the food talks.  The décor is an insignificant part of the overall experience.  

The Dutch theme is far better carried by the beers – a large variety including many Dutch beers are served, along with some really delectable fruit flavoured beers, which are well worth a try.  They also have milkshakes and smoothies but admittedly I have never ordered them.  The food menu has always been too successful in capturing my attention to give the drinks menu a chance!

You order, and wait, and then the absolutely huge pancake-plates loom and you suddenly realize dinner is served.  The plates are astounding, the biggest I have ever seen, and all blue and white in old Dutch country style (I presume).  The pancakes themselves are marvelous – not all thick and stodgy, yet not so thin as to deny you feeling like you’ve had a proper meal.  What can only be described as a heavenly mixture of bacon, apple, and maple syrup is combined in the Amsterdammer.  It’s the ultimate combination, perfect if you can’t decide between the sweet or savoury pancakes on the menu.  There are plenty of other great combinations, both meaty and vegetarian. And then for desert? More pancakes.  From the sweet selection,, the classic sugar and lemon is delicious, while the apple, cinnamon and ice cream is an apple pie of a pancake, and so, so good!  They also serve real apple pie (Dutch of course), and a range of waffles.  If you have quite individual tastes, or just fancy being creative, you can pick ingredients to make your own sweet or savoury pancake.

This may be one of my favourite discoveries in London so far, but I do have a few gripes. The fact that a service charge is added never ceases to irk me – I am used to tipping, so an extra 15% on the bill is annoying and leads to confusion as to whether to add a tip as well. The staff are undeniably good at what they do though. Heed: don’t stray from the pancake menu.  I flitted briefly into the starters on my most recent outing, and with a cheese craving ordered the nachos. They were okay, about as fabulous as the décor.  A few concessions were made, so that the nachos seemed how cheesy nachos should be (with all the dips and lots of cheese), but taste-wise, they were simply incomparable, and on entirely another level to the pancakes. 
 
Price-wise a meal at My Old Dutch is a lot more expensive than a Sainsbury’s ready meal, but then again this is London, and it is a restaurant.  The Amsterdammer is one of the cheaper savoury pancakes at £7.95, whilst the dessert pancakes are about £6.  Upon further investigation, there is apparently a 10% student discount, but a rather elusive voucher is required along with valid photo ID.  As ever it is worth enquiring about.  The loyalty card meanwhile, which grants you every tenth pancake for free, is very tempting!

Forking out a few more pounds though is worthwhile as an occasional treat, and better than therapy after that horrific essay or a completely disastrous day.  It’s the type of cuisine that comes under the ‘soul food’ category; right up there with your mum’s cooking - if she can make pancakes this good!

Location:
132 High Holborn
London WC1V 6PS