The Waffle Shack, Ultimo

Anyone who knows me well will know I looovvve waffles - I got a waffle maker for my 21st and I cannot stop raving about Toscano's choc chip waffles. As a matter of fact, I'm actually munching on it right now as I'm writing this, much to the dismay of my fellow work colleagues as it generates wafts of sweet baked goods smell across the office once it comes out of the toaster... nomnomnom.... Hence I was uber excited when a FCBA event was held at The Waffle Shack as it could only mean one thing - wafffllessss!!!

My eagerness knew no bounds since I ended up scouting the place twice (because I was that eager) before the designated start time... all within hours of trying out the 'Sexy Me' egg waffle from Haven. Surprisingly, The Waffle Shack was sort of a hole-in-the-wall, sharing common space with a mobile phone reseller and a convenience store. I think I may have scared Chris (the owner) with my near-stalky photo-taking of him in action when there were no customers.

Outside of Store

Waffle Stack on Display

Fast forward two hours (I did say I was early...), most of the other FCBA guests were already waiting at the front counter by the third time I arrived and we were all debating over the combinations of waffles and toppings. Who even knew that there were different types of Belgium waffles - yes, they tend to come in different shapes and sizes but I never knew there were specific names for them!

Types of Belgium Waffles

The Waffle Shack offers two types of waffles:

• Liège - thick, oval waffle made from a pre-made yeast-based dough, with pearl sugar mixed into the dough just before the waffle is made
• Brussels - rectangular waffle made from a fluid batter, like one used to make crepes

Before we selected our choice of waffle and topping, Chris made a fresh batch of each type of waffle for us to taste:

Waffle-Making (in order to minimise the pic spam)

Waffle Taste Testers

I personally prefer the Liège waffle due to the dense, chewy texture of the waffle with the hidden crunch of the pearl sugar. The Brussels waffle, on the other hand, had a lighter, crispy exterior but was soft on the inside.

As for toppings, The Waffle Shack offers quite a selection to choose from:

Menu Board

Choice of Waffle Toppings (in relative order of Polaroid)

All waffles are made to order, as shown below:

I ended up ordering the Liège waffle with the white chocolate topping (on the specials menu), which included diced strawberries, white chocolate sauce, cherry gel, and biscuit crumb topped with strands of white chocolate:

White Chocolate

Chocolate and fruit on a freshly baked waffle... what more can you ask?

In my instance, it would have been a hot waffle - the first batch of waffles were held hostage for an impromptu photo shoot until the food bloggers in the group ran away with them to eat. By that time, my waffle was barely luke-warm whilst the other two waffles were already cool. Fortunately we had already tested some fresh, piping-hot waffles earlier so I was still content when eating my waffle, which was still its chewy dense self. I also got to try some of the other waffle toppings (Chantilly Cream & Choc; Banana & Choc Fudge; Peanut Butter Sauce; Strawberry Cheesecake) and they were all good as well. The only issue I found was that the Brussels waffle with the Strawberry Cheesecake topping wasn't quite cooked long enough to give it a firm, crispy exterior so by the time the waffle had cooled down, it was soft and squishy.

Photo Shoot from Tasting Event

The Waffle Shack is conveniently located close to Broadway Shopping Centre, and the bus stops are directly outside the store. However, if you're inclined to walk from Central Station or Railway Square, it's a 10-15 min walk down Parramatta Road (potential for a side-trip through Spice Alley).

Disclaimer: MSG Cafeteria was invited as a guest of  Food Critics & Bloggers Australia to The Waffle Shack and all food consumed was paid for by the cafe. Thanks to the team at The Waffle Shack for hosting and serving up some yummy treats!