"Our customers constantly say to us, ‘do you remember the Dutch Pancake House,’ or ‘you might be a bit young to remember it but there was this place where they made all these amazing pancakes’," recalls Josh Jorritsma, co-owner of Papa Dutch, The Little Dutch Cafe, which has just opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in Altrincham this past week.
Of course many Mancunians will fondly remember Dutch Pancake House, the restaurant with 70s honey-wood panelling and an orangey brown carpet, nestled on the corner of St Peter's Square and Oxford Road, which sadly closed in the early 2000s. First opening in the 1970s, it was loved by locals for its huge variety of sweet and savoury pancakes served on huge plates - said to be Delft pottery featuring traditional blue and white designs.
And while the Dutch Pancake House closed two decades ago, and the building that used to house it was demolished to make way for the shiny 1 St Peter's Square, a new Dutch café has just opened its doors in Altrincham - and it might well fill that void.
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Papa Dutch, the Dutch family business serving an authentic taste of Holland, started life in the first lockdown, when Josh - who had been furloughed from his hospitality job - teamed up with his father Sjoerd to launch a Covid-proof street food business. After workshopping the idea with his siblings, Josh and his dad decided on Poffertjes, Dutch mini pancakes covered in toppings ranging from icing sugar to fresh fruit and chocolate sauce.
In the Netherlands, the mini pancakes are sold in public places and markets, and they’re a celebratory food for festivities. Having decided what they were going to sell, they just needed to decide on a name and landed on Papa Dutch a nickname that Josh and his siblings call their father - and the source of inspiration for their logo.
They set about building a mobile stall fashioned from a old furniture and a wheelchair Sjoerd had lying about from his day job as a physiotherapist, and initially set up shop outside their house on Shrove Tuesday 2021, leading them to secure a spot at Altrincham Market.
Having built up a strong legion of followers in the town, the family have just launched Papa Dutch, The Little Dutch Cafe, a small pancake house in a hidden and historic hamlet in the town centre, which feels much more like Amsterdam than Altrincham.
"During Covid we were slammed, we were just so busy all the time, mainly because we were one of the few places open and we were outdoors so we could avoid the catering crisis," explains Josh. "We then moved to the back of the market, and my dad who is very handy helped me build the unit."
"We planned the concept to be mobile so we could go around different markets and events in Manchester and that was part of our wider vision to make Papa Dutch very scalable. It was when we started to expand our range that we thought we needed a brick and mortar store. It’s a small space that we have here but it works for us and the whole idea is that you could pick this up and pop it anywhere else."
Taking over a former bottle stop, the tiny cafe on Goose Green feels distinctly European, with a Dutch flag proudly flying above the door and a window hatch open onto the square, so diners eating al fresco can watch Josh and the team make their tasty Poffertjes in the copper stove.
As Josh is back at university, his sister Naomi is currently heading up the new shop with their barista Franky, and says the family really enjoyed incorporating their Dutch heritage into the tiny space. "It used to be a bottle shop so we still have the counter, but we also wanted to make space for the ice cream so our dad sawed it in half so we could add that," she explains.
"It was a bit of a hassle at first but we got there. We took a trip to Holland and shopped in lots of second-hand shops and massive warehouses looking for furniture and ornaments. And we also have family trinkets on the shelves, as well as items picked up from vintage auctions."
Vermeer paintings, Girl With a Pearl Earing and The Milkmaid hang from the walls, while Sjoerd has also been eyeing up some other artworks to cement the European look and feel. "I was looking at Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters the other day and realised the painting has the same chairs as in the café," he smiles. "It's nice to see these old things come back around, especially in our own café."
Cooked to fluffy perfection, the mini Dutch pancakes are the star of the show, with the batter prepared by Josh and Naomi before being dispensed into the copper grill. Sweeter than the usual pancake batter because of the vanilla and cinnamon, Josh says the traditional topping for the Poffertjes is a small block of butter melted on top and a dusting of icing, but, catering to all crowds, they've added a huge amount of toppings.
Customers can customise their pancakes with toppings such as fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, golden syrup and Lotus Biscoff, and there are plans in the works to add some savoury elements for the lunch crowd. They also make their own Stroopwafels - a decadent treat which sees warm caramel between two thin layers of wafer.
Sweet treats also extend to its range of award-winning ice creams sourced from Daresbury Dairy in Cheshire, a fellow family-run business. Papa Dutch like that the ice cream is fresh and doesn't contain any chemicals or additives, and, keeping the Dutch theme going, we're told the cows that make the milk are actually Friesian.
In addition to the delicious sweet treats, the Little Dutch Cafe also has an alcohol license and offers a range of imported Dutch specialty beers. They're also very proud of their coffee which they source from Heart & Graft Roastery in North Manchester, especially their decaf blend.
While the thought of working with family members may not appeal to all, the team behind The Little Dutch Café have relished the opportunity. "In lockdown it was nice to have something to focus on and get excited about," reflects Sjoerd. "Most families were just getting on each other's nerves, so it was nice to have something positive to focus on."
"Our relationship with our Dutch family in Holland also strengthened over lockdown too," adds Josh. "We've kept visiting them too so it’s nice to share our new venture with them and what happens next."
The Little Dutch Cafe is open 12-6pm every day except Sundays. They're located at 3 Goose Green, Altrincham WA14 1DW.
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