paddington house of pancakes, farrer park

surprisingly satisfying pancakes-and-all-that-flap(jack) at this malaysian chain outpost in the rather quiet sprawl of the city square mall. this place jumped right out of the radar because of my love for the eponymous breakfast food – but I resisted going for a while because it seemed rather too good to be true (and I got caught up in the new brunch places): my dream is for IHOP to set up in this tiny island, and this seemed a rather fortuitous manifestation of it.

but suffice to say that we were pleased when we finally came – the selection is huge, our dishes pretty much deftly executed diner-style, and we left with full bellies (and only-slightly lighter wallets).

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it’s a far cry from the usual concrete hipster aspirations of recent brunch places – this is probably as american-style commercial as it can get, rather akin to the fish & co chain. it’s insignificant for most us folks wanting a meal – but you young up-to-trend youngsters, this might not qualify as a cool hangout.

the partner wanted to start with a serving of fried spuds – so that’s what we did. and while those square chips atop might look like crispy slices of luncheon meat (I know some of you just sat up with those mesmerizing words), they aren’t. I have a feeling those are rather caramelized bits of cheese, a little crumbly and very umami.

I liked it for it was a mix of fat wedges and skinny fries – a pretty large portion too – but it would have worked better with a more sauce-y cheese topping that distributed more evenly through; as it were, the cheese quickly solified on the top, leaving sauceless (but well-seasoned) taters below.

and then we waited for our next two dishes to come.

both of which were decently worth the wait, actually. the chicken crepe hid a chunky dark-meat fillet of chicken that was almost impossibly moist, and a well-seasoned skin that brought richness. the crepe itself was thin and elastic – and well-cooked, which is important: I don’t know how many soggy wet-crepe makers there are in the world, but they sure make their rounds.

same for our warm apple crepe that came with two scoops of generic vanilla. plentiful cubes of cooked apple and raisins, a healthy dash of cinnamon, and ice cream melting all over (skip that out-a-can whipped cream though).

the portions were all generous – we had real difficulty finishing our meal, but not from lack of wanting. and this visit didn’t proffer a chance to try the thick american-style pancakes, but that’s what next time is for.

Paddington House of Pancakes
#02-35/36 City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road
Singapore 208539
tel +65 6612 9029
$$: a filling meal for two (two mains, one shared appetiser) = fortyish

p.s. I’m back! how have you been?