An ancestral visit to a downtown café
Review by Ani Heslop
I pass De Dutch every once in a while on 100 St. and Jasper Avenue; it has always caught my eye. The bright orange, the modern looking decor, and the Netherlands inspired menu remind me of my own heritage. I was curious if the food lived up to my mother’s traditional Dutch cooking.
I avoided the café or a while, not wanting to compromise my mom’s recipes that have been passed down for generations, but last weekend, I was craving a pannenkoeken, and figured De Dutch would be the best place to find one.
Pannenkoeken is a Dutch pancake that’s somewhere between a traditional buttermilk pancake and a french crepe. My mom makes them really thin, almost paper thin, and rolled up tightly with cinnamon sugar, jam, or stroop (syrup) inside.
I was shocked at the menu: they had over 60 flavour options for the pannenkoek, including ‘The Windmill’, which is salmon, hollandaise, and Dutch cheese ($26.22) – it looked scrumptious – and ham, cheese and eggs ($17.88), which is on the Classic Savoury menu. They also had sweet options: the classic Brown Sugar ($16.07), traditional Hagelslag (chocolate hail, or sprinkles) ($17.53), and also more extravagant options with fresh berries and whipped cream.
I ended up ordering the Rio Grande, which has white onion and green pepper inside, topped with cheese, and came with salsa and sour cream on the side ($19.97). When it was set in front of me, the thing was huge! Nothing like my mom’s traditional and delicate pannenkoeken. It was thick and doughy, and I had to fold it instead of rolling; the rolling is the most fun part about pannenkoeken, seeing how tight you can roll it and have your toppings spill out the sides. It was more like a pancake than a crepe. Despite my qualms, the flavour was inventive and hearty, very filling and the creamy and zesty side sauces are never what I would think for a savoury pannenkoeken. It was exactly what I needed for brunch.
They had lots of other options on the menu too, like omelettes, eggs benedict, french toast, and a few lunch options as well. View the entire menu here.
The coffee was a little stale (granted it was early afternoon), but the orange juice was very fresh, squeezed in-house.
The hospitality was good, but nothing to write home about; our hostess and server were kind and courteous, and knowledgeable about the menu. I have to say, too, the server did look quite Dutch, tall and blond. I felt right at home.
The ambience was nice, decorated with bright colours, reds, orange, and greens. My favourite piece of decor were three giant clocks, one reading Edmonton’s time, one with Vancourver’s time, and one reading Amsterdam’s time. There was also a giant wall decal of a bicycle with flowers in its front basket. I have to give it to them, they certainly stay on theme.
This year is De Dutch’s 50th anniversary; it started in Vancouver in 1975. They now have 12 locations across BC, and the one in Edmonton. Because of the anniversary, they have a special promotion where anything on the menu with the special ‘50’ next to it comes with a scratch ticket. The reward is a specialty menu item at its original 1975 price. Definitely a unique premise. I wouldn’t go specifically for the prize, but it’s a neat incentive nonetheless.
It was a nice place for brunch, and a good choice if you’re in the area. Keep in mind it is right downtown, so parking may be limited, but if you want a taste of heritage cooking, De Dutch is a good option.
De Dutch
10030 Jasper Ave
(587) 520-8841
Monday-Friday 7am-2pm
Saturday-Sunday 8am-3pm
