The Waffle Log Blog

Coconut Whipped Cream

Tiramisu Bistro, Edmonton
March 7th, 2017

Colour: not quite golden
Flavour: savory 
Outside: needed more crisp
Inside: fluffy and tasty 
Toppings: coconut whipped cream

Dougie wants to thank special traveling guest, Denton, for joining her for this waffle. Denton has experience food blogging when he set out to document as many plates of nachos as he could in Halifax for: Eat This Town. Denton is also very well known for his impeccable fashion featuring loud prints! He is envied across the land and Edmonton misses him very much.

This waffle was a golden delight and the fresh fruit was a succulent bonus. Bananas and coconut are always a real winning pair. However, because the waffle lacked a crispy exterior there was too much syrup absorption causing the waffle to soften too quickly.

The bacon was excellent and came in a very generous portion!

Presentation was a treat for the eyes. See for yourself:

Coconut whipped cream with maple syrup was a surprising combination to consider in future breakfasts! Such synergy! 

3 Limes in the coconut and shake it all up! (this means it was good) – Denton

3.9/5 – Dougie

Border Dispute

Cross Roads Diner, Abbostford
March 2017
Cross Roads Restaurant

The gaggle of nerds that road tripped to Seattle in the spring of 2017 were sufficiently depleted of energy after several days of convention hustling, partying, and Seattle exploring. Once the Canadians crossed the border we indulged in diner delights at the Cross Roads Restaurant. Charmingly dingy in it’s outdated decor and staffed by a sullen woman it was just the place to refuel before hitting the B.C. Mountain highways.

Buttermilk waffle, good Flavour, whipped butter, could be crispier, bacon was A+, overall a tasty mom and pop shop diner waffle. 4/5 – Dougie 

“Im really clinging on to this life thing” – Danny.

I quite liked it, deep pockets held syrup. There’s kind of a floor of how “bad” a waffle can be. And this one was pretty good. 30/37 – Heffe.

Nice grid pattern, cracked in the middle but that’s ok. It was warm. Middle not warm enough. 8/10 – Danderson. 

Outside too soft but edge was crispy. Light fluffy texture inside, the sausage was the right side and shape to dip into the syrup 6.5/Buttons – Marie

[Picture missing, do any of you have picures?]

Emerald City Waffle Con

Sweet Iron Waffle Bar
March 2017

T’was the 2017 nerd herd expedition to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con and Moonie was a thorough waffle researcher and discovered a MAX CAPACITY: 12 person waffle joint. Danderson, Moonie, and Dougie took up 3 out of 12 seats in the closet-sized restaurant.

The menu was quite decadent with some of the most unique and gourmet waffles the group had ever laid eyes on.

Roasted butternut squash, blue cheese, honey walnuts was chosen by Dougie. The waffle was a yeasted brioche style batter with pearl sugar inside of it. The combination of sweet and savoury toppings was a culinary delight and flavour explosion. The waffles were a bit too heavy to be a crisp as Dougie prefers but the flavours were exceptional.

Rating:
4/5

Game Changer

Gamer’s Lodge
February 19th, 2017

Welcome to The Gamer’s Lodge one of Edmonton’s board game cafes. Follow the rainbow flag into the cozy cafe and enjoy their selection of games and special community events not to mention their game inspired waffle menu! Moon Unit Alpha and Doug Unit Cypher, just a couple of extra regular hoomans seeking a sweet treat, settled into a corner of the cafe, browsed the games, and then got to the monkey business that brought them to the establishment: WAFFLES.

Doug Unit Cypher ordered the The Donkey Kong at Gamer’s Lodge and Moon Unit Alpha observed. The first thing Cypher noticed was the abundance of toppings:

  • Banana rum puree 
  • Whipped cream
  • Candied Pecans
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • AND sweet-spicy bacon

Each of the toppings was quite sweet as well. Ideally the savoury bacon would’ve balanced the flavour but the surplus of toppings were overpoweringly sweet. The waffle was fluffy but not crisp which means it had a weak topping barrier leading to a soggy waffle if one does not consume it quickly. It was the tasty treat the the Units were looking for but very nearly overkill for the visitors.

Rating:
2.5/5

PB&B Waffle

Clever Rabbit Vegetarian Cafe
January 29th, 2017

Clever Rabbit is one of 124th Street coziest cafes aided by their friendly neighbour Whitecourt Homeless Animal Rescue Foundation (WHARF). Clever Rabbit features a vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan menu of cafe classics including breakfast, burgers, baked goods and more. 

Dougie ordered the Peanut Butter and Banana Waffle and it was sweet, salty, and filling with the complimentary flavours of peanut butter and banana. The texture of the waffle was thicker and more like a banana bread than a light airy waffle. The highlight was the coconut cream sauce on top: holy bananas was it delicious! It was a quite a treat and Dougie suggests working up an appetite for the heavy, stick to your ribs, vegan meal.

After your comfort meal head over to WHARF and support the local animal rescue foundation. Also, you can cuddle some cats. It’s amazingly therapeutic. 

Rating:
A very filling 3.3/5

Waffle Suplex

Wrestling & Waffles at the Doug House for the Elimination Chamber Match February 12th, 2017.

The gang gathered for a wholesome Sunday night Wrestling pay-per-view and suplexed some waffles while they were at it. A buttermilk cornmeal recipe from the infamous Will It Waffle book was used and fruit, syrup, and butter were the tasty toppings.

The Death Star waffle maker was fully operational.

With a tip from Moon Unit Alpha tipped Dougie off to a MINI waffle maker. It’s high powered little gadget that actually produces the perfect sized waffle when you think about it. It offers the opportunity to customize the flavour of many tiny waffles as opposed to trying to section off a larger waffle.

The excitement of wrestling overshadowed my note-taking for these waffles so I revisit this recipe in a later post! But, I can say: it was pretty good! Especially if you are a fan of corn bread and the flavour of buttermilk. Yum! The Will It Waffle book is a great read of 53 recipes and really takes the waffle iron unexpected places…

Rating:
The Miz’s look of shock and horror when Baron Corbin threw AJ Styles into one of the chamber walls: 5/5
The waffles 3/5

Batter Up, Big Apple

Sweet Chick, on the Lower East Side, New York City
January 2017

I went to New York and all I got was this baggy T-Shirt.

I joke! I went to New York and I experienced immense museums, delicious dining, hysterical comedy, powerful live music, and a completely bonkers New Years Eve Surrealist Ball. But that’s not what you want to hear about it is? No! You want waffles! So without any further distraction:

Sweet chick waffle $12
Fresh berries, ricotta, spiced honey

  • Outside: CRISP!
  • Inside: FLUFFY!
  • Flavour: Balance of sweet and savory tickling the tongue!
  • Colour: GOLDEN!
  • Toppings: Refreshing and rich!

I know I am a huge spokesperson for the vehicular properties of waffles especially in regard to how they deliver butter and syrup to your mouth. This statement is still true. However, I do appreciate the new horizons the Waffle Log Blog opens me up to. I truly appreciate visiting various restaurants with skilled chefs creating new profiles of flavour within the ever supportive squares of waffles.

This is all to say: the fresh fruit is always a nice addition to all breakfasts but the real remarkable ingredients on this waffle was the ricotta cheese and spiced honey. Everything combined was a delectable feast for the eyes and the mouth. Especially the spiced honey. I had never tasted anything like it before.

Sweet Chick claims to have the best waffles in New York City and my vacation was not nearly long enough to put that statement to the test but I’ll readily admit they were some of the best waffles I have tasted.

Sweet Chick NYC Gallery: http://sweetchick.com/gallery


For the Chicken and Waffle frenzied folks I made note that the menu includes Chicken and Waffles with your choice of waffle and a vegetarian chicken option.

Chicken and waffles
Fried Chicken and Waffles with Choice of Waffle: Classic, Bacon-Cheddar, Dried Cherry, Rosemary-Mushroom, Apple Cinnamon or Spiced-Pecan
(vegetarian fried chicken available)

I did not try this item despite it’s appetizing options and decided on the classic waffle in the spirit of fairness and I have already indulged in some amazing fried chicken at the ridiculous fun Brooklyn Bowl the night prior (I think I dreamed of a place like Brooklyn Bowl when I was younger: a music venue, a bowling alley, and a fried chicken restaurant. Amazing).

On with the rating!

Sweet Chick Waffle
4.8/5 – Fun Time Douglas

CanCon

Hudson’s Downtown
December 2016

Fun Time Douglas frequents gatherings called “Drink ‘n’ Draws” and the only draw back is: she is unable to draw. With friendly instruction she attends these gatherings regardless of her lack of skill and thoroughly enjoys the company of her talented friends. 

The chain restaurant Hudson’s is generally good at accommodating a large group, ideal for the Drink ‘n’ Draw, and this visit it featured a seasonal menu that included the still growing in popularity: Chicken and Waffles! So, once again the sweet savoury southern combo was ordered only this version had a “Canadian Twist” (Hudson’s does vigorously market itself as “Canada’s Pub” after all). 

So, here’s what happened:

The chicken and waffles were served hot out of the kitchen with a variety of toppings:

– Cinnamon sugar
– Whipped cream
– Maple chilli syrup (the “Canadian Twist”)

The waffle was too sweet. The maple chilli syrup was very, very tasty and had a great sweet heat to it. The cinnamon sugar seemed like overkill given the waffles already too sweet status. The whipped cream also seemed too sugary especially considering it’s sugar laden companions on the plate. Could’ve been more crisp and golden, in Fun Time Douglas’s opinion. The chicken was A-OK but nothing really stand-out. Pretty well exactly what you’d expect from a chain pub: serviceable. 

A crisp, savoury, golden waffle topped with maple chilli syrup and some very mildly sweetened whipped cream would have been on the mark for a great waffle.

Also, why is maple chilli considered Canadian? Chilli peppers originally hail from Mexico. Delicious syrup nonetheless. The following score hinges entirely on the syrup.

Rating:
Funtime Douglas: 2/5

Schrödinger’s Waffle

The Sugarbowl Cafe
December 8th, 2016

June of 2016 marks an important time in ISCoW (International Supreme Council of Waffles) history: the Calgary Waffle Club was formed. Expansion of waffle enthusiasm is a much celebrated event! Time and again, Dougie meets with the Calgary delegates, usually at Buttermilk Fine Waffles, but in December of 2016 a Calgary Waffle Club Delegate ventured up north and a meeting was held.

The Director and Dougie met at one of the University of Alberta’s popular watering hole/eateries: The Sugarbowl. Always a cozy experience (read: small restaurant with constant clientele) the duo of wafflers shared a table with a pair of strangers and their meals were ordered: The Chicken and Waffles.

The Director would like the preface the following review with: what came first? The Chicken or the waffle? Obviously the living breathing chickens of the universe came first but I this question intrigues culinary minds to track the history of fried chicken, of waffles, and of their eventual partnership in the now seemingly trendy dish of Chicken and Waffles. If you must know you should read about Southern United States cooking.

Now, we dish:

The waffle was soft, perhaps too soft, on it’s own. The chicken was: engaging. The watermelon salsa that it was served with was insane on the taste buds really levelling up the chicken, with the waffle, with the salsa. Commendations for the combo.

The chicken and the waffle were perfectly integrated, The Director stated, it was as if the chicken could not exist without the waffle and the waffle could not exist without the chicken to accomplish the flavour that was experienced. This chicken and this waffle existed in the same quantum superposition… Or something.

Overall, the waffle was mediocre but excellent chicken and surprising salsa topping made this dish soar.

Ratings rang out ditto and likewise:

Dougie & The Director: 4.5/5 as the complete dish. 3.3/5 for the waffle alone.