As a kid, I would always be drawn to the alluring smell of freshly-made waffles from the neighbourhood bakery near my house. Ever since the shop closed, I’ve been on a quest to find that familiar, crispy-on-the-outside but soft-on-the-inside taste reminiscent of my original childhood favourite.
Intrigued by the numerous waffle options around NUS, I decided to grab a friend on an adventure around the school so you, my fellow waffle lover, will know where to find the right waffle that best suits your taste buds.
Criteria
To ensure consistency across all the waffle places, we chose 2 common flavours — plain and kaya — with the exception of some places. Our main measurement is taste, which we ranked in terms of sweetness on a scale of +3 to -3, with +3 being the most sweet, -3 being not sweet at all, and 0 being the best with the ‘perfect’ amount of sweetness. We also observed the presentation, texture and freshness of the waffles.
01. Sedap Goreng (Kent Ridge MRT)
Nestled among shops in NUH Medical Centre, Sedap Goreng is en route to NUS when you tap out from Kent Ridge MRT and is easily recognisable by its bright green storefront.
We got the plain waffle for $1.40 and the kaya-flavoured one for $1.80, which were both made-to-order. The shop also sells a variety of other waffle flavours such as butter, peanut, red bean, blueberry, chocolate, cheese and cream cheese.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
Taste-wise, I rated the plain one as a 1 while my friend gave it a 1.5. We both found the kaya waffle to be a tad on the sweet side and hence gave it the same rating of 2.
In terms of presentation, the kaya waffle was much lighter in colour than the plain one, making it inconsistent across different waffles. However, we thought the texture was great as both waffles had a good amount of crunchiness.
02. Bakery Cuisine (Kent Ridge MRT)
Bakery Cuisine is also located along the same stretch of shops in NUH Medical Centre and you are sure not to miss the shop with their wide display of baked goods in addition to their made-to-order waffles.
They offer waffle flavours such as butter, cream cheese, red bean, blueberry, chocolate, sliced cheese and peanut. However, we also spotted an interesting option on the menu letting us mix 2 flavours in one waffle, so we opted for a mix of peanut and kaya which cost $2.20 as well as a plain one for $1.40.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
My friend and I rated the plain waffle a 0 as it had the perfect amount of sweetness. We both gave the kaya and peanut combination a 1, but my friend found the peanut butter filling too thin and liquidy as it flowed out, creating a slight mess in the paper packet.
Image Credits: Jasmine Zhou
The waffles were also lacking in crispiness, having a more doughy, mochi-like texture. Hence, if you have a preference for less crispy waffles, this may be the place for you to satisfy those cravings.
03. Creamy Duck (YIH Central Square)
Located in the Yusof Ishak House (YIH) Central Square, Creamy Duck offers made-to-order waffles and has arguably one of the most diverse and interesting flavours in this list.
We got the plain waffle for $1 and the kaya one for $1.40. Other than the usual waffle flavours, they also offer chocolate banana, honey, strawberry with sprinkles, chocolate and nuts, nutella, nutella banana, milk cereal, cookies and cream, durian (seasonal), ice cream, cream cheese and chocolate chip, tuna mayo, and ham and cheese.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
Sadly, the taste of both waffles didn’t quite live up to our expectations. I gave the plain one a -2.5 while my friend rated it as -3 as she thought it had almost no flavour. We both rated the kaya waffle a 1.5. The waffles were very crunchy but it also had a porous texture, so it soon got soft and soggy as the kaya filling was overly liquidy and flowed too easily through the waffles.
04. Arise & Shine @ Engineering
Engineering students will be familiar with this humble yellow and white checkered shop, located at a corner of Engineering Block E4. The store offers various grab-to-go treats and is great for grabbing a quick bite if you are studying at one of the numerous benches in the vicinity. We got one of their pre-made plain waffles, which tasted of pandan, for $0.80.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
If you prefer waffles that are not as sweet, this seems to be the place to go. Taste-wise, I gave the waffle a -2.5 while my friend gave it a -0.5. The waffle was more fluffy than crunchy and I thought the texture was similar to a kueh texture while my friend found it more close to a cake texture.
05. Snacks & Fried Kway Teow (The Deck)
One of the most affordable options of this list may be the Snacks and Fried Kway Teow stall at The Deck. The plain waffle is sold for just $1 while the kaya-flavoured one is $1.20. Other flavours include peanut butter, chocolate, blueberry, cheese, maple syrup, red bean, chocolate banana and even ice cream!
Designed by Edeline Tenges
Overall, the waffles looked appetizing as it had a nice shade of pandan green. I thought the plain one had the perfect amount of sweetness and gave it a 0 while my friend gave it a 0.25. For the kaya-flavoured waffle, I rated it a -1 while my friend gave a 0.5. The texture was great as well as the waffle was slightly crunchy yet soft inside. However, we were disappointed by the kaya-flavoured waffle as there was very little kaya filling.
06. SuperSnacks @ PGP
The SuperSnacks outlet at UTown is arguably a hot favourite for residents living in UTown to grab some snacks, even at midnight when the cravings hit. But did you know that they also have an outlet at Prince George’s Park Residences?
Their made-to-order waffle flavours include peanut butter, maple syrup, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate and cheese. We got the plain one for $1.20 and the kaya waffle at $1.60.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
Taste-wise, I gave the plain waffle a -1 while my friend gave a 0.25. For the kaya waffle, I rated it a 1 while my friend rated it a 1.5. We both agreed that the texture of the waffles were very starchy and not as crispy as we would have liked it to be. If you’d like to try it for yourself, do note that you should not head there in the morning as they only open at 12pm!
07. Dim Sum (UTown Fine Foods)
The Dim Sum stall at UTown Fine Foods offers made-to-order waffles in 6 flavours: original, butter, kaya, blueberry, chocolate and peanut. We got the original one for $1.40 and the kaya one for $1.80.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
In terms of taste, I felt the plain one was not really sweet and rated it a -2 while my friend gave it a 0.5. The kaya waffle had the perfect amount of sweetness to me, while my friend thought it was too sweet for her, so I gave it a 0 while she gave a 2. The waffles here were the darkest brown in this list. I particularly liked this stall as the waffles were really crispy (the crispiest one in this list, in fact!) but still soft on the inside.
08. Swee Heng Bakery (Flavours @ UTown aka Food Clique)
Swee Heng Bakery is surely no stranger to many of us, and this outlet also takes up a large store space inside the Flavours@UTown food court. Their made-to-order waffle flavours Swee Heng Bakery is surely no stranger to many of us, and this outlet also takes up a large store space inside the Flavours@UTown food court. Their made-to-order waffle flavours include margarine, peanut butter, chocolate, blueberry and cheese. This was arguably the most costly of our list, with the plain waffle going for $1.50 and the kaya one at $1.80.
Designed by Edeline Tenges
The plain waffle had the right amount of sweetness for me so I rated it a 0 while my friend gave it a 1. We both agreed that the kaya waffle was a tad too sweet and rated it 2. While the waffles looked very appetizing with a nice shade of green, we were disappointed that the kaya filling was very little.
Overall, this was the most chewy waffle of the list with a mochi-like centre. We also appreciated the additional layer of white paper which helped maintain the package’s dryness, overall evading the annoying sogginess that waffle steam normally creates. However, we still recommend to consume your waffles ASAP for the best taste as the waffles bags will get soggy after a long time period from the steam, and we know you would not want your waffles to taste overly soft!
Overall thoughts
As we came to the end of our waffle journey, we felt that we were really spoilt for choice both in and around NUS, and it was hard to pick an absolute favourite. We loved different things about different waffles, but there’s the good thing — waffle preferences are vast and far-ranging, so with the wide variety of waffle types in NUS, you are sure to find your favourite! In addition, waffles are also great as a takeaway snack, so do remember to stay safe and consume them away from the shops to avoid crowds in these extraordinary times!
We hope that our list has given you a glimpse of what various waffles from different shops around NUS taste like. Now, it’s your turn — what are your favourite waffle places in NUS? Don’t shy — we’d love a good waffle recommendation anytime!