DIY Pancakes with Nooks

Nooks Café and Bar is a pancake house located in Bukit Timah, along the Lorong Kilat stretch of cafes and restaurants. Nooks garner a good reputation since its inception, being the pioneering and the only café with the novel concept of do-it-yourself pancake art. With Nooks providing the ingredients and the necessary utensils for customers to make their own pancakes from scratch, DIY pancakes serve as the main attraction of the café.

Nooks features an industrial interior, set with office themed furniture, concrete walls, and hanging wire lights. The right wall features a ceiling to floor length art of the ‘Nooks City’, an entire face dedicated to the metropolitan art of its eponymous characters. The dim lighting of the café emits a relaxed and comfortable ambience; with its spacious interior, the café provides the ideal space for idle chatter and casual conversations.

We had ordered the basic DIY pancake set, meant for two, which included a pancake batter with a selection of two toppings. Additional batter, premium toppings, and ingredients come at an additional pricing. The range of batter includes the standard butter, dark chocolate, and strawberry to unique flavours such as red velvet, banana, and pandan. Toppings include slices of fruits, to bits of chocolate and sprinkles, and the standard jam spread. I had selected dark chocolate and sticking to a safe choice, we had mozzarella cheese and Oreo chunks for our toppings.

Each table comes with a griddle, and as soon as the tube of batter and the ingredients were served, we wasted no time in getting to work. It was rather enjoyable to bake our own pancake, simply drawing any designs that came to mind. However, it could be menial after a while, since I had to flip the batter consistently to prevent the pancake from being burnt by the heat.

The batter provided was of quality, and the selection of dark chocolate was indeed a safe choice. It had a rich flavour and aroma, and was neither too bitter, the melted cheese had served to bring out the flavour of the chocolate pancake as well. However, the taste of the Oreo chunks was unable to complement the pancake, as the batter was not thick enough to imbue the chunks – I had ended up chewing the Oreo biscuits by itself.

We had also found an unusual way to make the pancake differently; by baking the batter a little while longer, the pancake had become crispy instead, especially crunchier and sapid. Although the single set of batter had turned out to be insufficient for two, leaving me craving for more, the experience was a joy.

For beverages, I had ordered café latte to go with the pancake. While there was no latte art for the cup of coffee, it had provided a quick caffeine fix. The smooth coffee was bitter, and I might add that it was not a wise choice on top of our selection of dark chocolate. However, with its rich aroma and delightful taste, it was a piquant drink for the afternoon.

For customers who prefer ready served food, Nooks provide a wide array of dishes too. From mains to burgers, waffles and desserts, customers can also order pancake such as the Red Velvet or Rainbow renditions of the usual butter pancake. The bar component of Nooks provides beer, ciders, and wine. From specially concocted cocktails, and mocktails, alcohol-loving customers can find their drinks while enjoying the food here.

Nooks’ DIY Pancake concept is interesting, and for the day, it allows customers to play pretend a pastry chef. The staffs here were also quick to provide guidance and to help with any of our enquiries. The capacious café provides a great venue for people to lounge in during lazy afternoons. Nooks Café and Bar is highly recommended to anyone who is fun-loving and enjoys DIY activities – and those who simply loves pancakes.