USA vs. France: The Pancake Test

When I say pancake in Shanghai, the question that normally follows is, "Do you mean pancake or crêpe?" When I say pancake, I mean pancake. I'm American. We can't even pronounce the word crêpe with any measure of legitimacy. Regardless, there are places in Shanghai to sample both and I put both to the test this past weekend.

Mr. Pancake House: Despite the name, this cozy spot goes far beyond pancakes. The menu features a range of classic Western breakfast fare ranging from egg omelets and waffles to French toast and sandwiches. Some come as part of a set menu in which diners can choose from coffee or tea. (FYI-Substitutions like swapping the coffee for a cappuccino not only aren't allowed, they'll thoroughly confuse the staff.) The larger breakfasts also come with two small pancakes and home fries, making them a great brunch deal at 28-38 RMB. That said, for some reason, the small pancakes just aren't as good as the a la carte pancakes. The latter, aside from being larger are fluffier.

We sampled both the blueberry and banana walnut options on this occasion. The blueberries were the canned kind as opposed to the fresh kind, and Andrea felt the flavor of the syrup conflicted with the flavor of the blueberries actually used inside the pancakes. But, she managed to clear her plate despite the complaint. I had a Western omelet (good, didn't skimp on the cheese) with home fries (a little hard and chewy) with the two small pancakes (not bad, though certainly not as good as the full-sized pancakes) and likewise cleared my plate. Then I moved on to a shared order of the banana walnut pancakes with Bev and Chris. The pancakes had fresh banana within and were also topped with fresh banana slices and walnut bits. When drizzled with maple syrup, this easily became my favorite order from our meal.

What I loved: The ambiance. The cute décor with the chair rail and sunny yellow walls will take you right back to the West. Also, the prices.

La Crêperie: Because after breakfast I still let myself be talked into heading to this spot, I ate "pancakes" for both of the day's major meals. At La Crêperie I tried Cindy's scallop crêpe that was served flambée (Cindy thought the wine flavor was too strong but I was okay with it), Grace's chicken drumstick (in a creamy, rich white sauce with just a hint of mushroom flavor), the Le Défi (banana, ice cream, salted caramel and general deliciousness that is featured as a City Weekend favorite dessert), La Krampouz (stewed apples, salted caramel and cinnamon) and a refreshing, sweet Kir Breton (35 RMB/glass).

The dessert crêpes were where La Crêperie truly distinguished itself. Some diners are confused when they first get the Brittany style (crêpe brettones), which come open instead of rolled up. But, whenever the sweet options arrive at the meal's end, these differences suddenly don't matter because all diners can focus on is eating. The owners of La Crêperie have put an enormous amount of thought into each ingredient (the sourcing companies, etc.) and perhaps nowhere on the menu does this effort pay off as much as in the dessert crêpes.

What I loved: The salted caramel used in the dessert crêpes. DELICIOUS. Also, the brunch menu. It was too late to get the set this time around, but it lets diners get their fill of sweet and savory options at a slightly lower price than ordering a la carte (usually around 58+RMB per crêpe). Oh, and the location is pretty ideal – if you can still walk after your meal, you can head over to Camel, Latitude or any number of the expat-heavy bars popping up all over the area.

Mr. Pancake House: 877 Wuding Road (near Jiaozhou Road)/武定路877号近胶州路.

La Crêperie: 1 Taojiang Road (near Dongping Road)/桃江路1号近东平路.

Shau-Ru is the manager of Dining Secretary's English department and one of the writers of the Shanghai food blog, Dumplings to Donuts. For more food-related adventures, check out www.diningsecretary.com/blog.