COCONUTS HOT SPOT — From lava cakes to lava Chinese buns and toasts with syrupy fillings, Bangkok just can’t seem to get enough of desserts that ooze cream and sugar. Here is yet another place you will find yummy desserts that will blaze a sugary trail to your heart.
Diverted from my regular habit of reviewing mostly stand-alone hot-spot joints, this time I’m giving in to one particular franchise store I have recently (and quite frequently too) found myself in – for its amazing pancakes and more.
Found in many big malls and shopping centers (like Central World and Siam Paragon), Pancake Café is usually a kiosk with a small open kitchen and seating area, nothing too fancy. Each branch may look, at a glance, like another one of those sit-down-to-wait-for-a-friend places where you never quite intend to order something substantial. But I’m telling you that here, you can. However you have to know what is good and what is not, to get the best out of this café.
There are at least two items that have been my regulars: Angel and Demon (THB185) and chocolate fudge pancake (THB155).
Andel & Demon
“Angel & Demon” consists of a heavenly fat scoop of vanilla-white ice cream on a bed of snow-white whipped cream, served with a devilishly good pair of dark brown melting-from-the-inside pancakes. Maybe this is just the most accurate representation of what “sweet sin” looks like.
The result? Yummm! The star is the darkly good pancake: its chocolate batter is cooked but not so overdone that it melts in your mouth. The taste is just intense enough to let you finish the entire two pieces on your own. On the side, there is a tiny scoop of strawberry sauce — sweet and sour, and just right for the angel-demon pair. You will be surprised at how easily you can finish an entire plate on your own.
Chocolate fudge pancake
The chocolate fudge pancake is a stack of two beautiful layers of pancakes topped with two alternating layers of chocolate fudge cream paste — and all four layers make up one heck of a yummy dessert tower. The pancakes have a unique taste of fresh and almost raw batter. I’m assuming if you are a fan of cookie-dough, this dish will be a new addition to your list of favorites. Or perhaps you might fall in love with this dessert’s sticky “fudge” layers, which taste of intense cocoa and chocolate. The stack’s density contrasts with a light fluffy serving of whipped cream and a strawberry. For some, however, the sugar rush may just be too overwhelming.
To be honest, I’m less keen on the pancake joint’s other items such as seasonal selections or pancakes with other delicious-sounding toppings. I couldn’t finish even half a portion of the cafe’s one-time special strawberry meringue cake, and in other cases, I feel the chain’s mediocre-quality toppings like fruit jams and canned fruits diminish the otherwise-delicious “buttermilk” pancakes, which is a shame.
If you want to get creative, you can mix and match the toppings with your own choice of pancakes. But isn’t it just way better to have a good guide at hands?
My suggestion is stay away from the fruit toppings and you will be guaranteed a delightful dessert experience.
FIND IT:
Available at: Central World, Siam Paragon, Nawamin City Avenue, The Circle Ratchapruk
