In Dish Decoded we break down all the components, stories, and techniques behind a restaurant dish that we’re obsessed with right now.
If your screentime is as tragically high as mine (and you haven’t yet started Bricking your phone), you can likely name at least three viral pancakes in New York City. A visually dramatic short stack draws influencers by the dozen, leaving a trail of Octobuddy imprints on restaurant windows as they wait to take a bite. The moist, buttery pancakes at Golden Diner or the almost Gusher-like stack at Chez Ma Tante, completely saturated in clarified butter and maple syrup are just two examples of the genre that go viral regularly. Nail the pancake, and you’re guaranteed a steady brunch crowd for the foreseeable future.
One version that’s been quietly taking over the East Village is the salted egg pancake at Naks. Part of the Unapologetic Foods empire (which includes Semma, Dhamaka, Adda, and others), Naks is a Filipino restaurant helmed by chef Eric Valdez.
Here, he is committed to serving a Filipino American breakfast to folks craving something other than a standard BEC sandwich (bacon-egg-cheese, for non-NYers). The brunch menu ranges from a breakfast salpicao burger (made with ground wagyu and ribeye, drenched in a rich bone marrow sauce) to a crab omelette with an aromatic coconut sauce. Everything Valdez serves is uncompromising and bursting with contrasting flavors.
As for the pancake itself, it’s part of the restaurant’s lore. In the wee hours after service one night, Valdez and his dishwasher found themselves asking the same question cooks everywhere ask at the end of a long night: What do I want to eat right now? What they landed on was a pancake that’s exactly what you want to eat when you’re tired, hungry, a little bit tipsy, and in need of a sweet treat.
Naks’ pancake is all about balance. Made with a blend of rice and all-purpose flours, the pancake is light and fluffy with a subtle chew that keeps it from feeling overly rich. The rice flour adds a nutty flavor while allowing for an open crumb, making the pancake feel lighter than its viral counterparts. Next, butter is simmered with citrus and maple to meld the flavors and caramelize the sugars; it is ladled over the warm, fluffy pancake. The salted egg cream sets this pancake apart: The smooth, custardy sauce adds a salty-sweet contrast to the bright citrus butter.
