Mama White’s Pancake Parlour in Newark was a great find this weekend as we searched for “just a little something” to get us through the afternoon. Would you be surprised if I was about to relate a tale of a lunchtime in Newark when we ate a couple of platefuls of Pancake? I guess not, the tagline of the post kind of says it all does it not?
Looking on their website they advise “Take a 30 minute break from your day to be looked after by Mamma White – whether she cooks you the finest fluffy pancakes, brews you a delicious cup of coffee, flips you a perfect crepe or gives the children their lunch. Everyone needs a Mamma White Moment!”
It sound so American, but let me ease your mind it isn’t.
OK food? Yes I imagine that you want to know about that now
Savoury Menu
We were only ever going to be ordering from the Savoury section of the Menu, but even that was up for debate when you consider what it was that I did actually order. The “Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup” for £5.95 to which I added a ‘Fried egg for just another 50p”
So with much surprise at myself it came to pass and this was my plate of “American Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup” a dish that in the past I have ‘shuddered’ at when considering eating. I mean ‘Who?’ would eat bacon! and something sweet! like maple syrup? Surely that cannot be right? After 7 years living in the states and continually avoiding this combination it was ironic that I was to finally try it a couple of year later in Newark one of the County’s great market towns in a café a thousand miles away from ‘the place most expected to eat it at’
I have to confess though, I kind of liked this combination, and I am also kind of sad that I did not try it when it was available on every street corner in every neighbourhood that I lived in when I was Stateside. It sounds crazy but it isn’t really that sweet, the maple syrup brings an almost toasty honey element to the dish. I had imagined that the bacon was to be the ‘salty’ contrast and maybe sometimes it is, but here at Mamma White’s it was just ‘meaty;’ That may have been due to the huge pile of really crispy bacon on top of the pancake stack. I am not sure that this was smoked bacon and so maybe it was a milder lighter kind of taste. I am glad that it was though, I am kind of converted now. Dang!
The pancakes themselves were the “American” kind sort of thicker fluffy discs more or less ‘beermat’ sized. I had a stack of three and that was plenty for me. Topped with a fried egg and an inch of bacon there was very little chance of getting a full slice into an English mouth. I did try though. Despite the supposed sweet element from the Maple Syrup this really was a ‘savoury’ dish
So yes, I have to concede, that I have been converted to ‘maple syrup with bacon’ so ‘Mama White‘ whomever you are I thank you!
I am going to be over in New York in just a couple of weeks, and guess what I will be ordering at the nearest diner to my hotel? I feel the need to pursue this flavour all a little further.
However for the rest of us on a normal Nottinghamshire day we can come over to Newark to eat the same thing at Mama Whites.
Located at 40 Stotman Street in Newark they are just a few minutes walk from the Market Square area. Check them out on Facebook and on Twitter