It’s the golden age of pancakes, and this is Sydney’s top five

Before the Good Food team visited Surry Hills cafe A.P Bread and Wine for brunch in October, I thought I’d experienced everything pancakes had to offer. There have been classic diner pancakes with sides of streaky bacon; souffle pancakes, like wobbly breaths of sugared air; and sourdough skillet pancakes so hefty they came with a warning (“You won’t be able to finish one by yourself,” said the waiter at Pina in Potts Point, failing to appreciate my commitment to the bit). But there has never been a pancake in Sydney quite like this.

It is round, thick and as large as the plate it sits on, lacquered in toffee-brown kithul syrup (reduced floral sap from the Sri Lankan kithul palm). A generous scoop of whipped honey butter sits on top, slowly melting down one side. Then, the crust: a burnished coat so crisp it crackles like brulee beneath your fork, making way to reveal a fluffy, sunshine-yellow interior.

Obviously, it’s delicious. It’s a pancake. But it’s that unexpected play on texture, that contrast of biscuity crunch, smoky-sweet syrup and baked batter that pushed the A.Pancake (as it’s called) to top spot on my personal list of Sydney’s best (no small feat, as editor of Good Food’s 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries guide). Too bad a side of berries costs another $6.50.

The dish (exclusively available at A.P Bread and Wine) was developed about six months ago by chef Mat Lindsay, co-founder of the A.P Bakery empire and the man behind revered Sydney venues including Poly (Surry Hills), Ester (Chippendale) and its new neighbour, dine-in bar Pig Mary. He says he was inspired by the Golden Diner pancakes, which attracted queues of up to two hours when they debuted at chef Sam Yoo’s New York cafe in 2019.

Both use a pre-fermented yeast batter, and both are briefly cooked on the stove before going into the oven (“It’s more of a hotcake as opposed to a pancake,” says Lindsay). But it’s on the stove where Lindsay pushes his version further by using clarified butter to shallow-fry the batter and set the crust. It’s exactly what Lindsay was aiming for, he says: crisp yet fluffy, substantial without being a day-ender.

In Sydney, pancakes have been a source of culinary innovation since, at least, the introduction of Bill Granger’s amorphous ricotta hotcakes at his eponymous Darlinghurst cafe more than 30 years ago. The tradition continued with the popularity of the supersized sourdough pancake at Pina, which debuted in Potts Point in 2020. This week, another contender for city’s best entered the fray at Jinius, a cafe-bakery in Dawes Point led in partnership by Yeongjin Park (former head baker at Tenacious Bakehouse) and Jerry Jeong (former chef at Quay and Saint Peter).

Here, Park repurposes chiffon cake batter to create a creme brulee pancake that’s as light as can be, without sacrificing substance. Souffle pancakes err too far from the original, says Park, and he didn’t want to serve something that could disappear within a few bites.

The final product is a thing of beauty: two slabs of pancake layered atop a spoonful of house-made strawberry jam and bruleed vanilla custard, all of it glazed in maple brown-butter syrup. One perfect, fridge-cold square of butter is placed on top, then gently torched until it starts to melt. The final product practically gleams – the pancake emoji sprung to life, if it tasted like burnished caramel with a hint of vanilla.

My top five pancakes (and hotcakes) in Sydney

1. A.Pancake at A.P Bread and Wine, Darlinghurst

$22

An exceptional skillet-baked hotcake with a fluffy interior and crust unlike any other. A side of berries will set you back an additional $6.50.

32 Burton Street, Darlinghurst, apbakery.com.au

2. Creme brulee pancake at Jinius, Dawes Point

$26

An entirely new take on pancakes using chiffon cake batter to create something that’s more fine-dining dessert than standard brunch fare. Savoury variations are set to debut in coming weeks.

Shop 8/16 Hickson Road, Dawes Point, instagram.com/jinius.au

3. Sourdough pancake at Pina, Potts Point

$24

Imposingly large, overwhelmingly delicious, and not nearly as sweet as the norm. Offered with bacon or berries, with maple syrup served on the side.

29 Orwell Street, Potts Point, room10group.com.au

4. Buttermilk pancake at Lewi, Lewisham

$20

Beautiful to look at, better to eat – topped with house-made rhubarb compote, maple syrup, creme fraiche and lime zest. It’s light, bright and disappears quickly. Macerated berries cost another $8.

8A Victoria Street, Lewisham, www.cafelewi.com.au

5. Pancakes with butter and maple syrup at SIT, Marrickville

$26

A theatrical take on diner-style pancakes, topped with a whisper-thin sheet of butter that disappears within moments of being set upon the table.

387 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, comesit.com.au