Flap Jacks

For some reason I had assumed that Flapjaks was an American chain outlet, but as I soon discover it is a home- bred Indonesian creation that serves up some of the most decadent desserts on the island. With its modern, red, shiny décor the setting is bright and uplifting,  as is the menu in which we find  pages laden with photos of pancakes, waffles and gelati. Heri, our photographer laughs and says “Bye bye diet,”  I  nod my head in resignation.

The Big Man Java Set is the stuff of childhood fantasies and I find myself instantly regressing, I am not sure, but I think I might have even clapped my hands in delight when the waiter produced a seriously enormous glass decked out with an almighty array of gelati, waffles, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, chocolate crisps and fresh orange segments. I try to find the words to describe it but can’t get beyond ‘awesome’ and ‘deliciously naughty’ and I attack it with childlike enthusiasm. Don’t even think of tackling this alone – this is a dish for sharing. A slightly more sensible but equally enticing offering is the Crispy Fruits Waffle, a big fat crispy Belgium waffle piled with ripe fresh fruits and icecream. I am pretty fussy when it comes to waffles and this one has me suitably impressed. The pancakes also need to be tried – we choose the Blueberry Cheese, a dark and luscious  mix of blueberries and cream cheese on big fluffy pancakes. And then there are the Strawberry Loves crepes which provide more divine sweetness. The Gelateriasection features some fabulous flavors, (which can be enhanced with a splash of liquor) and, as with the pancakes and waffles, authentic recipes and quality ingredients create seriously good desserts.

Savory pancakes and crepes are also available, as well as pasta, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While there are currently three Flapjaks (two in Kuta, one in Sanur) with more planned, the Sanur branch is rather uniquely joined to the Stadium Sports Bar, so meals can also be  ordered  from their extensive menu, and you can catch the latest live sports action.

I feel compelled to try something  that is not  calorie- laden. Hence the Bok Choy Juice, which  is mixed with a host of fruits and is unique, tasty and healthy! I also enjoy the Strawberry Whirl, a mix of berries, honey, juice and gelato.

The charismatic General Manager, Faisal Tranggono joins us and insists that we try his favorite Black Forest Pancakes, I demur and say that I can’t possibly manage to eat anything else, but he just smiles and says “Don’t be afraid. ”  And so appears another decadent offering in the form of pancakes, rum, chocolate and cherries. What can I say?

By now I am entirely high on a sugar rush, but not sure if I can actually move, I am thinking I might need to be rolled out and seriously consider relinquishing the writing of the Desert section to another writer next month – but don’t count on it! I never really believed in diets anyway. AB