We dissect what London’s much-loved dishes are made from.
When is a pancake not a pancake? When it’s more like a cake cake. That’s the deal with the signature dish at Sunday in Brooklyn, the New York restaurant that opened its first London branch in Notting Hill this year. ‘On a busy day, almost every table will be ordering the pancakes,’ says head chef Esteve Prats Grau. ‘We have a dedicated pancake maker: that’s their only job.’ Grau talks us through the dish that’s become a cult favourite on both sides of the Atlantic.
The butter
‘We finish the pancakes with a dollop of butter, which we cook until it goes a dark brown colour. It tastes smoky and bitter and adds an extra aroma when it starts to melt.’
The batter
‘We use a basic recipe with buttermilk and malt powder. The secret is to mix the ingredients by hand and leave all the lumps in. If you mix too much, they won’t be fluffy.’
The size
‘They’re 20 centimetres in diameter and two centimetres thick. One is a decent size for two people to share, otherwise it’s like eating a whole cake by yourself.’
The syrup
‘The pancakes are drizzled with a hazelnut praline syrup. We toast hazelnuts until they’re almost burnt and mix in the syrup. It’s warm and thick, like a gravy.’
The taste
‘Sometimes pancakes can be a bit bland, but these are very much the opposite. They’re like a [flavour] bomb in the mouth. Rich, intense, and sweet – but not too sweet.’
98 Westbourne Grove. £9-£18.