Three flipping great alternative pancakes to try this Pancake Day from Chinatown London

Push your batter boundaries this Shrove Tuesday by trying some unique East Asian pancake dishes from Chinatown.

Lemon and golden syrup are lovely and all that but why not eschew the same-old same-old pancake toppings this Pancake Day? Pancakes are celebrated around the world in various different ways and every cuisine seems to have their own variation of the much-loved treat Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or are strictly savoury there are plenty of alternative options in Chinatown to get your pancake fix. Here’s our pick of where to expand your pancake horizons.

Chinese Peking Duck and Crispy Aromatic Duck Pancake at Plum Valley and Four Seasons

One of the nation’s most-loved dishes is the crispy duck pancake, a staple on a Chinese takeaway order. In Chinatown, there are two variations to the crispy duck, Peking and Crispy Aromatic duck, which require different cooking processes but are both simply delicious.

Both variations are served in the same way. Lightly steamed pancakes accompanied with spring onions, cucumber and  either a sweet bean hoisin-like sauce known as Tianmianjiang for Peking duck, or plum sauce for Crispy  Aromatic duck, ready to be all wrapped up and devoured in a couple of tasty bites.  

Order now from Plum Valley via deliveroo

Order now from Four Seasons via deliveroo

Jianbing at Chinese Tapas House

Chinese Tapas House specialises in Jianbing, a Chinese savoury crepe which hails from Beijing and has  become an extremely popular breakfast snack on the Asian street food scene, due to it being low-cost, quick to prepare and incredibly tasty. A crisp, savoury crepe is cooked on large steaming circular griddles and is stuffed with an assortment of fillings: spring onions, chilli oil, pickles,  crispy wonton skin, deep fried dough sticks and Chinese sausage. Rumour has it they date way back to 280AD when chancellor Zhuge Liang fed his soldiers by having the dish prepared on hot shields after their woks had been lost.

Chinese Tapas House is situated on Little Newport Street and is open for takeaway!

Pa-jeon (savoury pancake) at Olle

Korean joint Olle, serves a korean pancake called a seafood pajeon; a cross between a pancake and an omelette, bursting with the crunch of layered spring onions and the softness of seafood hidden away inside. Pajeon literally translates as green onion pancakes. They used to be classed as “Royalty” food due to the generous portions of vegetables and fish inside.

Visit the Olle website to order pajeon to enjoy at home.

Have a flipping egg-cellent pancake day and don’t forget to share your pancake day snaps by tagging @chinatownlondon on social media channels.