DeDutch- 10030 Jasper ave

A new breakfast place opening up in Edmonton creates excitement and anticipation rivalled only by the release of a new Apple product. With Vancouver based DeDutch recently opened on Jasper ave, Robyn and I went to check it out.

DeDutch is known mainly for their giant Dutch pancakes called Pannekoeken, though they do also have a sizeable menu of non-breakfast items such as burgers, sandwiches and another Dutch speciality called Toasties. We both had a hankering for some steering wheel sized pancakes this morning, so that’s exactly what we ordered.

I went with the Abby Perogy Pannekoeken, which was filled with hash browns, DeBakon, onion, and topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I know what you’re thinking…. “What the heck is DeBakon?” I assumed it was just a play on words and was actually bacon. Turns out, it’s basically deli ham. Kind of a disappointment when you’re expecting, well…bacon. Apparently it does have a note at the bottom of the menu explaining what DeBakon is, but I missed it.

Perogy

The pancake itself was good, and with the hashbrown mixed in was a lot like a straight up potato pancake. Although there was DeBakon ham and onion in it as well, they were kind of sparse, and didn’t add any noticeable flavour.  Same goes for the very light sprinkle of cheddar on top. As a potato pancake it works really well, but billing this one as “Perogy” was maybe a bit of a stretch for me.

Robyn ordered the Trail Mix Pannekoeken, which obviously was filled with trail mix. It was served with a dish of hot cinnamon apples and warm honey. The trail mix (which included peanuts, sunflower seeds and dried fruit) added a nice bit of texture to the pancake, and the warm honey and apples pulled it all together. We both preferred this one to the perogy.

Trail Mix

We also got a side of sausage patties to share. The 5 little discs of breakfast sausage were tasty, and a solid addition.

A couple of notes from our experience….

• We sat at a window seat. Being that there are no double entry doors, the seats at the front of the restaurant were subjected to quite a pronounced icy breeze whenever the door opened. Another table also commented on it while we were there, as did even our waitress. I’d avoid the front when it’s cold out.
• The coffee was a little weak, and only lukewarm. The refills were the same.
• The Pannekoeken range in price from $11 for the basic, and top out at $17. The more price-conscious among us may cringe at $11 and up for a pancake, but it is quite unique in Edmonton, and you’re not going to leave hungry.
• Being that the pannekoeken took up the entire plate, any side item dishes were placed right on top of the pancake itself, this seemed like an odd choice as some diners (me included) may not like the bottom of dishes sitting on top of their food.  The dishes may be perfectly clean, but there’s just something off-putting about it.

De Dutch Edmonton

I may not be changing my handle to DeBakonhound anytime soon, but if you’re looking for something a little different for breakfast downtown, give DeDutch a try.