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The Pancake BoatDe PannenkoekenbootFrom: Rotterdam, Netherlands
ABOVE: The Pancake Boat at its pier in Rotterdam's Parkhaven. INSET BELOW: Another view of De Pannenkoekenboot, and a Dutch dessert pancake with apple slices, applesauce, brown sugar, and chocolate shavings.
The vintage boat has two decks with
large windows, wood paneling, four- to six-person tables, and an outdoor area
where you can enjoy fresh air after you've stuffed yourself with dinner
pancakes, dessert pancakes, and optional ice cream. If our experience is any
guide, nearly all of your fellow passengers will be Dutch--mostly parents,
grandparents, and children.
Days of operation and departure times vary by season. The company also
offers package deals that include a pancake cruise and other activities in
Rotterdam. Reserve ahead, if possible, by phoning the Pannenkoekenboot Rotterdam at
+31 (0)10-436-7295 or --better yet--by using the Pannenkoekenboot Web site's
online booking form. Arrive on the pier 10 to 15 minutes before departure. The boat is in
Parkhaven, directly across the street from the Euromast and next to a large
floating Chinese restaurant. Get your table assignment as you board
the boat. A waiter or waitress will take your drink orders. (Most of
the staff speak at least some English.) When dinner service begins, stay put until your table number
is called. You can then go to the kitchen area, collect a plate with a plain,
apple,
or bacon pancake, and pile it high with sweet or savory toppings at the
buffet counter. After all tables have been served, you can return as often
as you wish for more pancakes. Later, the staff will open a sundae bar. (On standard
one-hour cruises, ice-cream desserts cost extra.) Toward the end of the trip, give your table number to a
server and settle your
bill before the boat arrives back at the pier. Tips: De Pannenkoekenboot also operates boats in Amsterdam (near
the NSDM ferry from Amsterdam Centraal Station) and
in Nijmegen, an historic Dutch river city near the German border. More photos:
De Pannenkoekenboot's pier is behind the red-roofed floating Chinese restaurant above, directly across from the Euromast. The harbor is called Parkhaven, and you can reach it on foot or via ttram from central Rotterdam.
The interior of De Pannenkoekenboot includes a sculpture of a mermaid whose motto could be "Pancakes or bust."
The pancake kitchen is on the main or lower deck. When your table number is called, you go to the kitchen to collect your first pancake.
A server will hand you a plate with the type of pancake you want: plain, or with apple slices or bacon baked in (as in the photo above).
Cooks constantly load new plates of pancakes onto a rack between the kitchen and the dining area. (The plates can be hot, so you may want to use a napkin as a potholder.)
A wooden table has pans of sweet and savory toppings--everything from ham, cheese, and sliced eggs to fruit, marshmallows, and candy sprinkles. (We suggest starting off with a dinner pancake and returning for dessert.)
After you've shoveled toppings onto your pancake, you can head back to your table for dinner.
A menu at your table lists alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, which are charged separately and delivered by a server. Another optional add-on is the sundae bar, which opens for business after passengers have had their fill of pancakes.
This photo shows a family dining on the lower or main deck. (We took it from the upper deck, which has more tables, toilets, and an open sightseeing deck at the stern.)
This dessert pancake has slices of apple, banana, and peach, with brown sugar and chocolate shavings for an added nutritional boost.
After the meal, smaller children head for a hatch on the lower deck that, when opened, reveals a hold filled with plastic balls.
At the end of the voyage, you'll be offered a Wilhelmina peppermint as you leave the boat. The traditional Dutch mints bear a portrait of the late Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, whose reign lasted 58 years (from 1890 to 1948). About the author:
After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials. |
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