How to eat nothing but pancakes this Pancake Tuesday

Words: Shamim de Brún
Images: Instagram
Artwork: Paul Smith

The average Irish person will eat two and a half pancakes for Pancake Tuesday. Amateurs. Here is a cheat sheet guide to eating nothing but pancakes for the day that’s in it.

It’s not unreasonable to eat nothing but pancakes on Pancake Tuesday. This is the challenge should you choose to accept it takes determination, but it will bring you ungodly satisfaction levels.

First things first: be prepared. Stock your kitchen with the toppings you love. Don’t stress about the batter. You don’t need the pre-mixed kits. All you need are flour, eggs, milk, and butter. Whip them together in the Nutribullet if you’ve got one. If not, they whisk quickly by hand but benefit from a rest before frying.

If you’re not up to it, call your mam, I bet she’d be delighted to have you over and stuff you full of pancakes. Or sub in your mate who’s into gastronomy if it’s easier for you. We’ve all got one.

If you’d rather not deal with toppings, clean up, or seeing people, then check out the spots below.

Breakfast Pancakes

Start your day the Vegan way at the new NoBo Treathouse Cafe in Ranelagh. These pancakes are a perfect vegan treat. Made with egg and dairy alternatives but still full of pancakey flavour and goodness, it’s the sweetest way to start your Pancake Tuesday quest.

Get one of Gino’s free crepes. Eating nothing but pancakes can get expensive if you’re not down to make at least some of your own, so why not take advantage of free pancakes. Gino’s Gelato is offering free sugar and lemon and free Nutella crêpes from 09.00 to 12.00 this Pancake Tuesday 1 March. If you don’t mind a bit of a queue, this sounds like it would be a stellar start to the day.

Coffee Break Pancakes

We all need that 11ish break to fortify us for the neverending stretch till lunch, especially on Pancake Tuesday. So this Tuesday, head to Dunnes Stores and pick up a pack of mini pancakes. They call them Blinis, but that’s just a swanky name for pancakes. Dunk them in your tea and feel like a giant. They’re only 89c for a pack of six. Perfect for a coffee break pancake.

Lunch Pancakes

Then when lunch rolls around, head to Alma, Portobello for smoked salmon, goats cheese cream, mustard and maple dressing, fennel and house-pickled beets. Pancakes are amazing with savoury toppings. This is luxury savoury pancake decadence, and you should savour it.

Hit up Gertrude for their fried chicken on buttermilk pancakes. Of course, we’ve all heard of chicken and waffles by now, but did we know the only difference between waffles and pancakes is the way they’re cooked? I mean, probably, but that’s essentially why this works so well. It’s a simple twist on a sweet and savoury classic that’ll stuff you this Pancake Tuesday.

Dinner Pancakes

Dinner is usually the biggest meal of the day and often the one we spend the longest eating. So it can seem complicated to find a way to make the humble pancake fill that void. Well, the Lemon Jelly Special Crepe is ready to take on that challenge. It is loaded with chicken, mozzarella, salsa, and spring onion and comes with a side salad. Lemon Jelly lives in the Italian quarter, so it’s the perfect after-work stop if you’ve been in the office this Pancake Tuesday.

If you want to make more of a dinner thing, then hit up Voici Crêperie and Wine Bar in Rathmines for their traditional galettes. These are full-on gorge worthy french style pancakes. You can get them filled with different cheeses, cured meats or salads. With all the different kinds to choose from, this is worth making this destination a stop on your Pancake Tuesday journey. Bonus points for pairing your pancakes with their excellent wine list.

Dessert Pancakes

The local bakery. Bakeries used to almost give them away for the five pence, and there were scores of kids at the door. These days they might not be so affordable. Of course, even bakeries have rent to pay, but they’re worth a visit for the nostalgic value, not the delicious lemony sugary pancakes.

Make your own and cover them in Nutella. Whether they’re toaster pancakes, shake n bake, or painstakingly laboured over, you can’t beat finishing your day of pancake glory with your version. Slather them in Nutella like the French, and you have the perfect dessert pancake. Pair with a cup of tea, and you won’t know yourself.