Ottie Pancakes (Suntec City)

Seems like Ottie Pancakes have been pretty aggressive with their expansion strategy despite being a fairly new F&B establishment in the local food scene here. Whilst they had opened their second outlet at Harbourfront Centre not too long ago, the brand seems to have opened a new outlet at both Alexandra Retail Centre and also at Suntec City in recent times. Their Suntec City location does seem to be their very first that is located out of the south-western areas of Singapore; their other outlets so far being that of the ones around one-north and Harbourfront areas. Located within the basement level of Suntec City, their Suntec City space is just a small takeaway kiosk that is situated pretty close by to the outlet of Bali Thai there. Ottie Pancakes should be fairly easy to spot, considering the use of a bright orange shop facade that would easily capture the attention of those whom are passing by the area. Expect a smaller line-up of the Ottie Pancake series being available at their Suntec City location due to space constraints — the Ottie Pancake would be what one would expect for Min Jiang Kueh, while the Mini Ottie would be similar to the Mini Munchi that Munchi Pancakes offer; Ottie Pancakes being an establishment that seemingly replicates the likes of Munchi Pancakes.

Having tried their Charcoal and Original pancakes with Kaya and Black Sesame fillings the last time round when we had made our visit to their Harbourfront Centre location, we had decided to give the Matcha Red Bean Pancake a try during our visit made to their Suntec City location. Just like how things are at their Harbourfront Centre outlet, patrons do get asked if they would like their Ottie Pancake orders to be served as-is or warmed up; we had them warmed up though there was some time taken between receiving them to us finding a spot to take a munch — it would only be right to say that we have had the Matcha Red Bean Pancake in a condition that was almost pretty much as-is from the display case.

The Matcha Red Bean Pancake is an item from the Ottie Pancake line-up that resembles a similar offering by the folks of Munchi Pancakes in which the Matcha is essentially the Matcha-infused pancake batter that is being used to make the pancake. The pancake does come with a slightly greenish hue inside, though still featuring a brown surface nonetheless — the addition of matcha does seem to be more for aesthetic appeal rather than that for flavour; that being said, the combination of Matcha and Red Bean does sound like a pretty safe combination on paper that would catch the eyes of some. Just as with their other pancakes, the pancake does come dense and thick — more so than that of the typical Min Jiang Kueh offering that one can find at hawker centre / coffeeshop / food court stalls, but pretty similar to that offered at Munchi Pancakes; chewy with a somewhat firm bite. Considering how these were left sitting around the display case for a while, the crisp edges were a little limp and tough; lost the initial crispness that it should carry. Meanwhile, the red bean filling does come suitably sweet with an earthy note; a smooth-paste that didn’t feel particularly heavy on the tastebuds and should do pretty well for those whom usually gravitate towards Min Jiang Kueh with red bean fillings.

During the same visit, we had also given their Original Hazelnut a go; the consistency of the pancake itself is largely similar to that of the Matcha Red Bean Pancake that we also went for — also very similar to what we had experienced with the other offerings that we had previously tried at their Harbourfront Centre location. The Hazelnut filling is one that would work well for those looking for a more chocolate-esque spread to go along with their order of the Ottie Pancake at Ottie Pancakes; one interesting element about the Original Hazelnut would be the soft, crunchy bits that exist within the hazelnut spread that helps to add a contrast of textures to the entire pancake. This does turn out to be a little sweeter than that of the Matcha Red Bean Pancake and even the Ottie Pancake offerings featuring black sesame fillings, though definitely works as a sweet after-meal treat for some for those whom do not mind a slightly heavier dessert. With their Ottie Pancake offerings being priced within the range of $2 to $2.80 while the Mini Otties are priced from $5.50 to $6.50 for six (6) pieces, Ottie Pancakes does make themself a pretty interesting contender to that of Munchi Pancakes; this is especially considering how Munchi Pancakes had pretty much dominated this segment in the local F&B scene for a fairly long time — the likeness between the two (2) establishments being particularly uncanny and probably isn’t just a mere coincidence. That being said, it does seem to provide us folks with more options to dine from for those craving for a good Min Jiang Kueh — guess it is always the consumers that benefit when such occurrences takes place?