604: Joyee's Top Pick All Year Around - NERO

This is definitely my favourite dessert shop in Vancity. Whenever I'm in downtown, I always, ALWAYS, make a trip to Nero's. They offer two types of waffles - the Liège and the Brussels.

The Liège is a Belgium waffle that has a soft, chewy bread texture with melted pearl sugar, while the Brussel is a light and crispy waffle. According to my survey, 100% of my dear followers prefer the Belgium waffles; and as do I (good choices my friends ;)

You get to choose a savoury or sweet topping and I always choose the sweet. I'm actually not too adventurous with their selections here at Nero. I always choose whatever has chocolate toppings, so my selection is restricted with the Banana brûlée, the orange mousse, or the classic with dark chocolate drizzle. All of the chocolate classics are served with a heapful of whipping cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'm a bit torn between the banana brûlée and the chocolate mousse. I loved the dark chocolate ganache from the chocolate mousse but preferred the banana brûlée over the oranges. I just wish they would replace the orange with the caramelized banana.

All I can say is that you would not be disappointed with Nero's waffles. I have never failed to convert any of my friends into a Nero fan. My sister always request multiple stops to Nero whenever she visits Vancouver. That's how good it is.

Location: Seymour || Robson

Menu: Here

Price:

* Classic Sweets: $10 - $12

* Savoury: $15 - $17

Taste: 5 / 5

Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Price Performance ratio: 5 / 5

Retention Rate: 100%

Worth copycatting? YES

Drawback:

* Parking is always a pain at the Seymour location

* Line ups are expected

604: Epic Grill Silog (New Westminster)

Went food venturing again and I tried this Filipino restaurant that specializes silogs. I ordered the three silog combos, which apparently certain silogs cannot be paired in the combo (think it has to do with the cost?), but the boss was so sweet! He said he'd do it for me. I think they were just really pleased to see how passionate I am about their culture and were eager to try out their cuisine. Here I have the Tapa, Bang silog, and Biya silog. I like the Biya silog most - it's ultra crispy. The owner warned me multiple times that there are small little bones in it, but I hardly noticed it. The Bang Silog really caught me by surprise since it's a bit savory but mostly tangy. Not saying it's bad but it's just not what I was expecting, that's all!

Out of everything, my favorite was the dessert!!!! The sansrival was soooo good! The classic flavor is the owner's favorite, and it tasted like the Sawdust Pudding from Macau but in a solid form with a beautiful crunch from the meringue and cashew. My favorite, however, was the UBE SANSRIVAL! I loved the ube aroma and it married well with the pistachio. It's crunchy, it's light and not too sweet with a touch of saltiness. How tasty is it exactly? Tasty enough for me to add this to my copy-cat-bucket-list

Thank you @missy604_rn for recommending this place to me!

Update: I went back and tried a new flavor and it's equally amazing! Their hazelnut Sansrival was made out of hazelnut and Nutella flavor. I also tried the Ube Sansrival with coconut shredding but didn't like that as much.

Location: Here

Price:

Regular - $11.95

combo 1 - $16.95 (2 meats dialog)

combo 2 - $20.95 (3 meats silog)

Taste: 4.5 / 5

Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️

Seating: NA

Price performance ratio: 4.8/5

Recipe Copy cat worthy? Yes - for the Ube Sansrival !

604: The Bubble Waffle Cafe (Richmond)

A few weeks ago, I did a review on Cafe Eggstatic from Burnaby and ever since then, I've been craving my favourite waffle from the Bubble Waffle Cafe.

In my family's Chinese new year tradition, we always get ourselves a Hong Kong street snack. Wayy back in the 90's, char grilled squid, fish balls and bbq skewers were all available from the hawker stands. Sadly, they are all gone now. So now we just alternate with our picks between bubble waffles and Hong Kong style waffles with peanut butter and condensed milk. This year I chose bubble waffles to satisfy my craving and to complete the family ritual.

I don't know how to even begin but their waffles are just THE best bubble waffles I've ever had, and I've had tons throughout my lifetime. Their waffles here at the Aberdeen food court is usually fresh, and I was pleased to receive a piping hot waffle immediately without waiting. I was slightly concerned since bubble waffles normally needed to be cooled down with those flimsy fans, but my concern was unnecessary. What's mind blowing is that a simple waffle could have so many levels of food feels! It's more than just a crunch. Even when you're trying to put out your best manner to eat silently, it is impossible to hide that crunching noise with your mouth closed. As you give it a few more chew, a contrasting texture unfolds. The inside of each bubble is fluffy, chewy, and has a slight warm goo accompanied by a strong aroma of custard flavour, which resembles a lot like a combination of butter and vanilla.

Note, I used the word crunchy instead of crispy. Unlike the bubble waffle from Cafe Eggstatic, their waffles were crispy. Now let's take a look at the definitions from Food52:

• The journal defines a crispy food as: “a dry rigid food which, when bitten with the incisors [Ed. Note: the four pointy teeth at the front of your mouth], fractures quickly, easily, and totally while emitting a relatively loud, high-pitched sound.”

• While a crunchy food is: “a dense-textured food which, when chewed with the molars, undergoes a series of fractures while emitting relatively loud, low-pitched sounds.”

The majority of the bubble waffles I've had had always been crispy, but nothing beats a crunchy bubble waffle with so much fluff inside. I dare to say that this is the best bubble waffle in the world? I can't imagine any bubble waffles that could beat this one.

I'll probably never try to copy-cat this since I will need a commercial waffle maker to make one, but I am SOOO curious! I'm guessing that they've added tang flour to yield the chewiness, and undercooking it slightly will yield the fluffiness, but why is it so crunchy? Is cornstarch their secret? Or is it beer? But I think Beer would be too expensive and would not be economical, so I'm ruling that out. WHAT'S THEIR SECRET?!

Location:

Hazelbridge, Richmond (Aberdeen Food Court)

Steveston, Richmond (Ironwood) -- would not recommend

Blundell, Richmond (Blundell Mall) -- Haven't tried this location

Richmond Center -- Haven't tried this location either

Lansdowne Mall

Other locations (including Vancouver and Burnaby): Here

Price: $5 per waffle (including tax) or $1.50 add on to any meal you purchase

Taste: 5 / 5

atmosphere: NA

seating: NA

Price Performance ratio: 4.9/5