London's going flipping crazy for Pancake Day (apologies we couldn't resist that) if the pile of press releases we've had in are anything to go by. But it doesn't have to be Shrove Tuesday (March 17 2015) for you to to enjoy them.
We thought we'd round up some of the more interesting places to eat pancakes in London on any of the other 364 days of the year.
Oladushki at Mari Vanna116 Knightsbridge, Wellington Court, London, SW1X 7PJ
We're not going to recommend the blinis here - good as they are. No, the pancakes you really want to come to Mari Vanna for are the Oladushki - light courgette pancakes with smoked salmon and sour cream (pictured above). This dish has comfort food stamped all over it and as Lent follows Shrove Tuesday, there can't be a better place to eat up before those 40 days of abstinence.
57-59 Old Compton St, London W1D 6HP
If you come to House of Ho you're really going to have to try Bobby Chinn's sous vide egg banh cuon - after all it took him 15 years to winkle the recipe out of a lady in Vietnam. The steamed fermented rice batter pancakes are stuffed with stuffed with pork mince and wood ear mushrooms - yours for a fiver.
Dosas at Rasa55 Stoke Newington Church Street, London, N16 0AR
Not simply a great neighbourhood restaurant, the dosas (rice and black gram flour pancakes) at Rasa in Stoke Newington are genuinely worth crossing town for (although they do have branches elsewhere). Go for the Nair Dosa which is stuffed with potatoes, beetroot, carrot, onions and ginger and served with sambar and fresh coconut chutney for a bargainous £5.95.
Unit 39, Brixton Village Market
This Brixton market Japanese joint might not be the first place that springs to mind when you're thinking of pancakes, but one of its specialities is okonomiyaki - a savoury pancake with a cabbage and batter base and finished with a special brown sauce, Japanese mayo, seaweed flakes and bonito shavings. Go for the Okan special with kimchi, prawn, squid and corn at £8.25.
Kaiserschmarrn at Boopshi's31 Windmill Street, London W1T 2JN
The main draws here may be the schnitzel and spritz, but if you can make it through to dessert you'll be rewarded with the Kaiserschmarrn - an Austrian pancake stuffed with fruit and served with cream, or if you can bear it, custard (£6). It's not known if it's named after the grunt you make after having eaten one. You can even have pancake for your starter here too if you choose the frittaten - consommé with thinly shredded pancake.
47-48 St John’s Square, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4JJ
Anna Hansen has forged a reputation for turning out some of the best brunches in London at her place in Clerkenwell and, as you can imagine, her pancakes are legendary. Go at the weekends for raspberry and ricotta pancakes with berry and liquorice compote and crème fraiche for £9.
150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR
If you're after pancakes with one hell of a flourish, then the Ritz Restaurant is the place to try them. Crêpes Suzettes are prepared at your table by the maitre d'hotel and then flambéed theatrically. Available on both the lunch and dinner menus at £36 for two people.
Also worth trying
The buttermilk pancakes on the breakfast menu at CUT on Park Lane - pictured here - are on the pricey side (£16 for a stack and £20 if you add sausage or bacon) but they really are delicious and the whipped maple butter they come with is an added bonus.- On The Bab by Old Street has two pancakes on the menu - Pa Jeon (seafood) and Kimchi Jeon - both £4.50)
