Eating Out
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Georgian Townhouse Pancake Café, Crossgate, Durham
SHROVE Tuesday. The day before
Lent. A day of feasting before 40
days of penitence and general
soul-cleansing in the Christian calendar.
For those who take their religious
practice seriously, it's a day
of rare abandon ahead of a culinary
famine.
Traditionally, it's a day in which
rich foods such as eggs, milk and
sugar are cleared out of the cupboard
- and, in most houses, exploded
across kitchen worktops
before being whipped together,
tossed in a pan and then smothered
in a variety of toppings.
It's rare to see a pancake flipped
beyond this one day. That is, except
in one small corner of Durham
City where lies The Georgian
Townhouse Pancake Café.
We went on a Sunday - a fitting
day, considering the religious context
for the fare we were to consume.
The cafe is a delight from the
moment you enter. It is housed in
the former garage of a beautiful
Georgian town house (as its name
clearly indicates) at the top of
Crossgate bank. Two green lollipop
signs stand outside, and were it not
for these you could easily miss it.
Inside, it is both colourful and
homely, albeit compact. Children,
in particular, will love the interior,
which is an array of hand-painted
nick nacks and picture frames.
The menu is short and simple - a
good indicator of quality in my
book - and is equally split between
savoury and sweet.
I opted for the smoked salmon
and asparagus pancake, which
came with an accompanying pot
of Hollandaise sauce. My wife,
Lindsay, went for the bacon, blue
cheese and leek. Both came with a
bowl of salad with a light balsamic
dressing. The other savoury variations
on the menu are Mediterranean
vegetables with pinenuts
and basil; and feta and spinach.
Being a haven dedicated solely
to the worship of pancakes, it's
only right and proper to start with
the batter. These are no ordinary
pancakes, measuring fully 12 inches
in diameter and yet light, wafer
thin and infused with herbs and a
hint of garlic. The taste is divine,
the inspiration is Lucy's, the owner.
My dish came with a wedge of
lemon, a perfect companion on
any given Shrove Tuesday and,
drizzled across the salmon, it gave
a citrus lift that brought the whole
dish together beautifully. As tastes
go, this was heaven.
The bacon, blue cheese and leak
version is a mighty feast of a pancake
- reminiscent of a pizza calzone -
and warranted equal reverence.
Sauce oozed from the open end,
giving an enticing invitation to
break down the batter walls to discover
the filling inside. The ingredients
were a very pleasant mix (albeit
there were an awful lot of leeks) and
the accompanying sauce was rich
enough to send overweight men of
a certain age on a collision course
with St Peter's pearly gates.
Needless to say, the mighty
plateful was not fully consumed - a
shocking waste, but essential if
Lindsay was to do this column justice
by sampling a sweet.
The dessert menu would be
enough to deter those with a sweet
tooth from ever straying to the
savoury side.
I was immediately drawn to the
black cherry and chocolate icecream
(wrapped in the obligatory
pancake, of course). However, I
gravitated towards the orange,
caramel and Grand Marnier option.
Our waitress, Helen, recommended
the latter, describing it as refreshing.
Lindsay made a beeline for the banana,
honey and cinnamon - the
excuse used was that it contained
fruit, clearly a desperate bid (a failed
one, I might add) to salve a troubled
conscience after the rich contents
of the preceding course.
The afters didn't disappoint. I was
treated to flavours, textures and aromatic
smells that were a joy. The
caramel with the pancake would
have been a sickly step too far, and
yet it was broken down by the light
alcoholic edge of the Grand Marnier
and the bite of the three thick slices
of orange on top. In case your calorie
count is low (a joke, sorry), you also
have the option of cream or a couple
of dollops of vanilla ice-cream depending
on taste and greed.
Lindsay's pancake announced
itself on arrival at the table, the
smell of cinnamon wafting invitingly
ahead of the complementary
tastes of the honey and banana.
Both rounds of pancakes were
washed down with cappuccinos.
In truth, you need only sample either
savoury or sweet. It was only in
pursuit of evidence for this column,
of course, that we devoured both.
The Georgian Townhouse Pancake
Café is an undiscovered gem,
being slightly off the beaten track.
It is as light as its batter in its assault
on the pocket - all savoury
pancakes costing £6.95, and sweet
ones £4.95. We spent £30.40 in total
on the four pancakes and equal
number of coffees. In truth, were
you not needing quite so much
penitence as us you'd leave with
more money in your pocket and
less strain on your belt.
Both suitably shrived, we set out
in the sunshine for a stroll around
the cathedral. It's the only way to
absolve your conscience after such
a wickedly pleasurable meal.
Reviewed by Mike Parker
3:56pm Friday 9th May 2008
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