The Best American Pancakes In Shoreditch

Thick, light, fluffy and slathered in a rich caramel or chocolate sauce, the US-style pancakes at Boondocks in Shoreditch are filling and tasty. Owner Bea Vo shows us how to make them.

‘Growing up in the States, pancakes were a Saturday morning treat eaten in front of the TV watching cartoons like Transformers,’ says Bea Vo, founder and owner of Boondocks.

The joy of American pancakes is, that by themselves, they’re not overly sweet, so you can really play around with additional flavours. Chocolate sauce, cream and caramel take it one way, while maple syrup, bacon and even cheese take it another – anything goes.

The main ingredients in US pancakes are butter, flour, eggs, sugar and salt. What makes them puff up nice and fluffy is the addition of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. These react with the acidic buttermilk, which gives a light airy structure, as well as a subtle tang-like taste in the mouth (that’s only if you eat them plain though, not smothered in sauce).
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Bea chose to open Boondocks in Shoreditch as, ‘the area has a nice lively crowd, they’re people that really appreciate food and want to enjoy the best of everything’. Boondocks followed in the footsteps of its sister restaurant, Stax Diner, based in the revamped Kingly Court, Soho. Fans of Stax will love Boondocks, which has a much bigger kitchen and floor space and is just moments away from Old Street Station. ‘The kind of food we serve here is artisan, nostalgic American food. And our motto is, “It ain’t food if it ain’t fried”,’ adds Bea.

The menu features classic American dishes like sloppy joes, chicken fried steak, fried onion blossom, s’mores, cornbread, and Bea’s mac and cheese, as well as her real American pancakes.

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