Last Updated on July 12, 2024
Crêpes and Cocktails in the West End
As a child I loved pancakes. My grandmother would take me out to feast on savoury pancakes stuffed with onions, cheese and tomatoes, sweet ones aching with cream and caramel, and if I finished what was on my plate, I would get a lollipop. Since then I never turn down a pancake opportunity; buckwheat galettes in Brittany oozing with spinach, cheese and egg, flaming Crêpes Suzette tantalising the tongue with a sticky Grand Marnier sauce or the simple thicker English pancake sparkling with sugar and zinging with lemon juice.
So when I heard about Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome Casino just to the side of Leicester Square and right by the tube, I knew I had to visit. I’m in the West End a lot, too much for my own good some people say, and I’m always looking for a good quality fast dinner option. Crêpeaffaire offers ‘sweet and savoury hand-crafted crêpes, made with organic flour and natural ingredients’. You can eat in or take away from the Crêpe & Roll counter, there are shakes, cocktails on tap and special cocktail and crêpe pairings, and there are even vegan and gluten-free buckwheat pancakes. It’s an all-day kind of place with All Day Breakfast crêpes options such as Eggs Benedict with Wiltshire ham, egg, cheddar, hollandaise sauce and the American classic of Maple and Bacon. Savoury choices include the Ultimate Ham and Cheddar, Avocado Superveg with tomato, spinach, mushrooms, cheddar, avocado and mixed seeds and Mexican Chicken with BBQ chicken, Mexican style rice, salsa, chilli, cheddar and avocado. Crêpeaffaire is a small group of outlets but exclusively for the Hippodrome there are some signature sweet options including The Gold Standard; described as the Rolls Royce of crêpes, ‘it comes with lashings of Belgian & white chocolate, crowned with chocolate gold balls, gold cream and gold leaf!’
I went to Crêpeaffaire for an early supper as I was off to the theatre. The entrance is just off to the side of the main Hippodrome entrance and the interior is attractive and buzzing with light wood panelling, attractive globe chandeliers and black and white tiled flooring.
There were some pleasant pop tracks burbling away in the background which put us in the mood for cocktails – it doesn’t take much. These come pre-mixed which is ideal when you are in a hurry. A Strawberry Daiquiri was a blend of overproof craft distillery barrel-oaked white rum, a squeeze of strawberries and Brazilian lime. It was well-balanced, not too sweet and delicious. Soho favourite a Pisco Sour, a mix of Peruvian Pisco, pressed Brazilian limes and a little cane sugar had lost the natural acidity of the limes in translation and was too sweet, whereas an Aperol Spritz worked perfectly on tap.
And then it was time to mop up the alcohol and test out the crêpes. The Pesto Formaggio was light and fluffy, topped with fresh spinach and a dollop of pesto, with a wonderfully gooey cheddar and fresh chopped tomato filling. The Ultimate Ham & Cheese was a perfect meaty option, stuffed with Wiltshire ham and cheddar it had a crisp cheesy crust on the outside as well as the inside – it was very satisfying.
Can you ever eat too many pancakes? Possibly, but when there are ice-cream sundaes on the menu making a choice between a sweet crêpe or a sundae is a tough one. We tried two sundaes in the end. The Love You Lotus Sundae focused on the deep caramel flavours of Lotus biscuits, here turned into a sauce, a crumb and in its original biscuit form served with lashings of soft serve ice cream and whipped cream. It was very good as was the Oreo Cookie Sundae which was the same idea but with Nutella sauce and Oreo biscuit pieces.
With super-speedy service that comes with a smile, Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome is a fun West End option. It’s perfect for a meetup with friends or family and if like me you love a pancake, then you’d be foolish not to go.
Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome
Cranbourn Street,
Leicester Square,
London WC2H 7JH
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