The Poffertjes Man Helps Us Go Dutch

Lauren Bloomberg

Follow the powdered sugar.

We've seen just about everything turn up at the duo of South Street Seaport markets (the New Amsterdam Market and Fulton Street Market), from handheld pies to draft-pulled kombucha. But it's always exciting to stumble across something we've never seen before, like poffertjes. Made with yeast and buckwheat flour, these little pancakes are a cross between Belgian waffles and Hong Kong cakes. And, until we smelled the sweetness wafting from the Poffertjes Man's stand down on South Street, we didn't know there was something we were missing. Now we can't stop thinking about them.

Hailing from Australia, Brett and Suzanne Lang were shocked to reach our shores and realize that their favorite treat wasn't available; Suzanne's parents are Dutch, and it was part of her sweet-tooth repertoire growing up. They set their minds to change that, obtaining a few special poffertjes pans, butane burners -- and poof! Enter their roving outlet, the Poffertjes Man. While they maintain their 9-to-5 jobs, the couple spend weekends turning out poffertjes that have crisp outsides that give way to a light-as-air dough. They're flipped out into a cardboard bowl before being topped with a lashing of salted butter and a flurry of powdered sugar. For now, the Poffertjes Man be found for the next two Sundays at the Fulton Street Market (with a new 50-piece pan). Follow their next move at thepoffertjesman.com.