Happy at Slappy Cakes

Kid-friendly cuisine for the whole family

Putting a finishing touch on the pancake. Melalin Mahavongtrakul

It's Children's Day tomorrow -- a tired-out day for parents who have to take their overexcited kids to see tanks, the PM's chair and caged animals in the zoo. Why not try something new this year? We know a place where the entire family can have fun while getting their stomach filled at the same time.

Our party-of-two "kidults" recently wandered down to Sukhumvit 39, where Slappy Cakes -- a do-it-yourself pancake parlour -- is located. With branches in the US, Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, Slappy Cakes came to Thailand last year, and it has been bringing fun family times for local kids and pancake lovers ever since.

The café's exterior comes in eye-catching bright orange that no one could miss. The interior is of a homely beige. Each table is equipped with a griddle, and that alone flared our excitement about the place. We've mastered our know-how from all the time we spent observing the pancake vendor in our soi. Now, it's time to put those drawing and flipping skills to the test. Or, at least, we can focus on not burning the pancake.

The first thing we ordered was the DIY Big Combo (935 baht), which comes with buttermilk, chocolate and pandan batter (all served in separate squeezable plastic bottles), plus nine sweet and savoury toppings that include favourites like fresh strawberry, Nutella, chopped bacon and cheddar cheese. The batter, especially the pandan, gave a nice, sweet smell. However, I would personally prefer to have the batter a little more thickened.

The cafe's interior. Melalin Mahavongtrakul

For a small group or couples, smaller sets of combos are available. You can also create your own mixture from the à la carte menu. Try the pancake platters if you don't want to go through all the work. But, really, where's the fun in that? I was happy to discover that the place also serves all-day breakfast. And there is truly something for everyone on their menu.

For an appetiser, I enjoyed the popcorn shrimp (200 baht), with its light, crisp texture. Then, we moved on to a main dish, the Bacon Benedict (280 baht), which is eggs Benedict with bacon bits and a side of roasted potatoes. My friend didn't quite like the hollandaise sauce, finding the taste a little too strong. But the poached eggs were done well. And we really liked the side potatoes. We also tried fried chicken with waffle (250), served with maple syrup. I quite liked the chicken, as it wasn't oily, and went well with the waffle.

For drinks, we tried a butterfly pea lemonade (90 baht), which was almost too sour. But you can ask for syrup, and that rounded out the flavour wonderfully.

The strawberry milkshake (120 baht), which comes recommended, was a little bland for my liking.

When they're not busy, the place's general atmosphere can be pretty relaxing. However, do yourself a favour by checking that nobody's booking the place for a kindergartener's party. We accidentally wandered into that during our visit, and our eardrums are still recovering from all the kiddies' high-pitched screams.

Fried chicken and waffle. Melalin Mahavongtrakul

Bacon Benedict. Melalin Mahavongtrakul

Trying out DIY pancakes. Melalin Mahavongtrakul

Slappy Cakes

1/10-11 Sukhumvit 39. Open 8am-9pm. Visit www.facebook.com/slappycakesth.