Delicious waffles have their day
The fiery gini kukula and (below) Liege waffle with chocolate fudge. Pix by Sanura Gunawardana
Hungry for some waffles? Did you know a new place for mouthwatering Belgian waffles has opened in Etul Kotte? Waffles – the sturdier cousin of the pancake has sadly been away from the spotlight in restaurants and cafes in our country while other delicacies dominated the menus. But now waffle lovers can rejoice.
‘The Waffle Café’ had its opening on March 26 and owners Durga and Marcus Kenny, have ensured that the menu combines the various palates and preferences of their Sri Lankan clientele with a range of savoury and sweet authentic Belgian Waffles. The Belgian waffle offered here has “no set time when you can enjoy it,” Durga states. “You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner!”
“I wanted Waffles to be a complete meal,” Durga explains as we scan the menu offering savoury toppings of chicken, prawn, sausage and meatballs and vegetarian options with spinach, mushrooms and “mock duck”.
Currently working toward Halal certification Durga hopes to make her tiny café inclusive to all. A travel bug at heart, Durga has journeyed in and around Europe exploring and observing the cuisines of the countries and slowly falling in love with the Belgian Waffle.
Belgium – a small country which keeps gifting the world with culinary delights -fries, beer and chocolates (and of course waffles!) – is tucked away between France, Germany and The Netherlands. The Belgian Waffle is well known for its light batter and large squares with deeper pockets, allowing syrups and various toppings to make a home in them, and giving the customer a satisfying mouthful of goodness.
One of Durga’s customer favourites is the “Red Siam” – Prawns cooked in traditional red curry – a must try for a Thai food enthusiast! The creamy curry gave our taste buds a satisfying zing coupled with the crunch of the waffle.
Another customer favourite the “Gini Kukula” is a spicy Sri Lankan curry served with a side of seeni sambol. The traditional chicken curry with coconut milk was generously ladled over the fluffy waffle, the spices giving us a startling slow burn with every bite somewhat offset by the creamy coconut flavour of the curry.
Next up we sampled the “Farmer’s Fowl” – a savoury waffle which incorporates chicken and mushrooms drowned in a creamy white sauce. “Lady Cluck” one of our personal favourites was a crispy Belgian waffle generously coated in Chicken Ham sautéed with a variety of herbs and topped with a creamy cheese sauce. The cheese sauce with a subtle garlic flavour and mozzarella cheese is the idyllic comfort food, these two waffles more on the mellow side of the savoury waffle options.
The “Yakka’s Sausage” – is much nicer than it sounds – it’s devilled curry styled chicken sausage served with seeni sambol as a side. The savoury waffles are priced at Rs. 750 to Rs. 950 for one waffle and Rs. 950 to Rs. 1200 for two waffles.
Durga and Marcus have also released a vegetarian range, the most intriguing being “Buthaya’s Buttons”– devilled, Chinese styled sautéed mushrooms which leave a pleasant tingle on your tongue and the “The Quack” – a Mock duck swimming in a fiery chili sauce.
Of course you can’t leave without trying their “Sweet Waffles”. Known as the “Gaufre de liege” this waffle is as iconic as the Brussels waffle, if a smaller variation. The Liege waffle is crispy and crunchy from within due to the embedded pearl sugar mixed into its batter – the very same sugar pearls which seep out of the waffle iron to layer the Liege with a caramelised shell giving it a sort of cookie texture.
From the variety of creams, toppings and fillings to choose from, we sampled the “Custard cream” and the “Maple Syrup”. The custard cream gave the Liege a smooth veil that reflected well on the cookie texture of the waffle and the Maple and Butter combination of the next waffle allowed an authentic Western classic to come to life. The Sweet Waffles are between a price range of Rs. 500 to 700 and are a perfect balance to an initial hearty meal or could also act as a good stand alone meal on its own.
The friendly atmosphere of its service staff and proprietors, make the Waffle Café, despite being the new kid on the block, a welcoming spot for anyone in the area.
Open every day except Mondays and Poya Days from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. customers may receive updates by checking out their Facebook page or go visit them at 901, Kotte Road, EtulKotte, Sri Jayewardanepura Kotte. For more information you can contact them on 011 2 871200 or by email at @thewafflecafe.