Chandeleur

To celebrate Chandelure this February 2, Khéma is offering a licence to indulge in one of France’s iconic culinary offerings, the heavenly Crêpe, with a delicious range of sweet and savoury fillings. You’ll find them on Khéma’s exceptional-value Free-Flow Business Lunch Menu for the whole week of Chandelure, so you’ll be able to try out a different flavour every day if you wanted. And even better than that, Khéma has prepared a dedicated Free-Flow Crêpe Menu for this coming weekend: a perfect accompaniment to any get-together with friends and family. The humble, delicious and eternally adaptable pancake must be one of the most universal of all food creations. Almost every culture has its own edition. Even cultures within cultures have their own variations, and so we have the pancake, blini, griddle cake and crêpe. Or perhaps you prefer a flapjack, drop scone, waffle or galette. Let’s not forget the boxty from Ireland where they make them with potatoes, of course — a genius move, frankly — or the Æbleskiver that looks like an apple in Denmark. Try saying that three times in a row after your third glass of wine. And that’s not even a fraction of what Europe has done with this simple confection of flour, eggs and milk, cream or water. But let’s look at Asia, where you’ll find bao bing, bánh xèo, and buchimgae. Do you like dosa, or dadar gulung, or perhaps you prefer an oyaki? The list goes on and would not be complete without Cambodia’s own banh chao of course. Pancakes are included among the first formally recorded recipes, appearing in Europe’s first extant written cookbook (Apicus), while records for similar creations can be traced all the way back to the fifth century BC. And how could there not be? The pancake’s simplicity is the key to its early adoption, and its adaptability and basic deliciousness have ensured its ongoing success. But there are easy nuances — such as extended resting times for the batter — that can lift this simplicity into a silky elegance that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. It can be as refined (think crêpes Suzettes) or as rustic as you want it to be, and we’re fairly certain you could eat a completely different version every single day of the year. And we would like to start a petition for the re-introduction of the 17th century British version that called for the addition of brandy into the batter mix. You’ll find the classic French version available all day at Khéma as part of our celebrations for Chandelure this February 2. So no matter who you are, where you’re from or how you usually like to enjoy your pancake, crêpe or banh chao, you’ll still find a hint of something that evokes a little bit of home.