The Original Pancake House: A Review

My husband came home from work one day, excited about a restaurant mentioned by a friend. He said we could go there for dinner and looked up their website to get an idea of the menu. That’s when we realized that it was a breakfast place; unlike I-Hop, The Original Pancake House operates for limited hours only: 7 AM-2 PM from Monday through Saturday and 7 AM-3 PM on Sundays.

We had completely forgotten about this place until last Sunday, when we suddenly decided to go there for a late lunch. Who would expect a breakfast place to be packed at 2.15 in the afternoon? Well, we were pleasantly shocked to see almost every table occupied.

Even though it is a breakfast/brunch restaurant, their menu has a Lunch/Dinner section with savory crepes.

We Ordered

Crepe with Chicken and Vegetables and a Side of Potato Pancakes

The potato pancakes were crispy and light and absolutely delicious. The crepe as is was slightly sweet but with the combination of the chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and a light sauce, it was sumptuous.

Pecan Waffles

Lovely, golden brown waffles that were crispy on the edges and soft as I cut into them. The highlight was the citrus flavored syrup that brought it all together.

Hot Chocolate

I love hot chocolate but have been disappointed many a time with concoctions that are either too diluted or too sweet. The hot chocolate here was, however, just perfect.  

Our Rating: 4 out of 5

We plan to keep going back to the restaurant to try the remaining items on their menu, so keep a look out for an updated review. 

Find The Original Pancake House near you and enjoy a hearty breakfast, brunch, or lunch, Bon appétit!

Coconut Quinoa

I love coconut rice but since I am trying to avoid too much white rice, I came up with the alternate version with quinoa. I wasn’t very sure if the experiment would succeed, but now that I have tasted it I can vouch for the flavor. It was absolutely delicious and you will not miss the rice, for sure.

Ingredients

¼ cup Quinoa

¾ cup water or coconut milk

2-3 tbsps grated coconut

Salt to taste

For Seasoning

1 tsp Mustard seeds

½ tsp Urad dal

1 red chili

1 tsp oil

Few curry leaves

Method

Wash the quinoa and place in a saucepan along with coconut milk or water. You can also mix part coconut milk with water to make the liquid lighter. Cooking the quinoa in whole coconut milk make its more flavorful and creamy

Add salt to taste

Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and allow it to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.

Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork to separate the granules and keep aside

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chili, and curry leaves

Once the seeds splutter and the urad turns a slightly darker, add the grated coconut and turn off the heat

Mix well and add to the cooked quinoa

Mix well to incorporate and serve hot

For more quinoa recipes, check out Quinoa Salad with Yellow Squash, Quinoa Pulav, and Quinoa Laddoo. Bon Appètit.