Jany's Dutch Pancake House is the only Dutch restaurant in Hualien. The owner Jany is from Amersfoort in Netherlands. Her settling in Hualien started on a trip to Antarctica. During this trip, she met travel companions from Hualien and was invited to Hualien for sightseeing. Upon arriving, she couldn’t help but fall in love with the LOHAS lifestyle, friendly people and natural scenery.
In order to make authentic Dutch pancakes, Jany returned to the Netherlands to obtain a professional pancake-making certificate, hoping to let more people savor the deliciousness of Dutch cuisine. Dutch pancakes are thin pancakes, tasting soft inside and a little crispy outside. To ensure the taste, Jany insists that most ingredients are imported from the Netherlands, including cheese, jam, and frosting, etc. Even the pots have been brought back from the Netherlands.
The most popular desserts in the shop are Dutch cheese and apple pancakes. Jany says that Dutch cheese, cream and other dairy products are extremely famous. The slightly sour apples are neither too sweet nor too greasy, and go very well with the Dutch syrup drizzled on top. In order to offer customers healthy choices, Jany does not use chemical spices and pigments, emphasizing instead the original tastes of the ingredients. The simple and unadorned taste is very homey.
Jany says that she likes the scenery of "Stone Stairs Platform" and "Tongli Ancient Road" the most. In particular, Hualien’s mountains and sea are in great proximity to each other, which is very different from the scenery she has seen in Europe and South America. Sometimes she would go to a rural school to teach children, exchange languages, introduce Dutch culture, or make pancakes together with them. "I think people here are unlike people in the big cities, so maybe I can do something for them and bring them new ideas," Jany says.
She also hopes that her pancake house can be a place for the exchanging of ideas and culture. However, the pancake house is currently moving to another place with more convenient transportation. The new site will include a study where everyone can read books quietly, enjoy Dutch desserts, and drink coffee. Jany says: "In the Netherlands, eating pancakes is a joyful thing. Everyone is welcome to come together for good conversation and delicious pancakes!"
Jany's Dutch Pancake House
Address: 2, Ln. 120, Dongxing 2nd St., Hualien City, Hualien County 970, Taiwan (R.O.C.) (new site)
Tel: 0984–246–216