There is always someone I know that wants to try Bubble Waffle Cafe, but I rarely crave for bubble tea. However, since C'est la vie a Maggi and I were in the area, we decided to make a visit. Our first choice was actually Icy Bar but the restaurant was randomly closed for the day. Also, I thought Milk & Sugar Cafe (which is located across the street) was Bubble Waffle Cafe! Maggi wanted to go to Milk & Sugar Cafe too but it was my fault because I got the restaurants mixed up.
Bubble Waffle Cafe is located near Kingsway and Joyce, and is in the same plaza along with Honolulu, London Drugs, Papa John's and Gold Train Express. The restaurant appears to be a franchise and there are three locations in Richmond as well as one in UBC.
As for the interior, the restaurant is fairly clean and there is a good amount of seats. Every table has three types of menu which includes noodle combos, Japanese paper hot pot, teppanyaki, snacks, rice rolls and drinks. Since we spent the whole day eating already, we decided to try only the bubble tea and bubble waffles. As for the service, the owner is quite friendly. I put my purse on a chair next to the table beside us and she pushed the chair towards me. Although her English was not the best, she was friendly.
FRESH WATERMELON JUICE ($4.25) + PEARLS ($0.50).
PAPAYA MILK TEA ($3.50) + PEARLS + COCONUT JELLY ($0.50).
Starting with the watermelon, the juice tastes watered down and there is no flavour. The taste resembles the end pieces of watermelon or a poorly selected one. As for the pearls, the exterior tastes mushy as well as wrinkly, but powdery on the inside. Perhaps they are undercooked and have been sitting around for too long? As for the papaya milk tea, there is no taste as well. The drink only has a faint sweetness and no hint of papaya or milk tea.
Maggi's drink made me feel like she should have played it safe and ordered a generic milk tea. Although to her, no one should ever feel the need to "play it safe" just to avoid being disappointed (which is true). As for the coconut jelly, no complaints. We left the drinks behind because my last date with Maggi caused me to get a stomachache because I finished a milkshake I did not like.
GREEN TEA EGG WAFFLE ($3.75).
The batter for the bubble waffle is made to order and there is a rich matcha flavour, but no hint of sweetness. Maggi found the flavour too bitter and could not have more than couple of bubbles. As for myself, I tried finishing them but the waffle tasted drier and drier after each bite and not very good. Asides from the lack of sweetness, the waffles are slightly overcooked and the exterior tastes too crunchy, but the inside is not hallow.
TOTAL: $13.15 + TIP $0.85 = $14.00.
We were in and out of Bubble Waffle within ten minutes and majority of the time was waiting for the food. Overall, the drinks are not good and the bubble waffle could have used some more sugar.
When the owner came by to pick up the bill, Maggi said "this is very bad, I can't drink this". My eyes lit up because at a Chinese restaurant, no one speaks up unless it is an expensive dish. This is just how it is at Chinese restaurants, compared to non-Asian restaurants where there is a chance that customers can receive a new order. All in all, at least the owner apologized compared to walking away and ignoring us, which I would not be surprised if that had happened. After we left, Maggi questioned why Asian restaurants can always get away with things like this and I often wonder too, because it would not happen in Asia!
POSITIVES
- Friendly owner
- Clean restaurant
NEGATIVES
- Drinks are not good (0/5)
- Bubble waffle resembles the ones from the Richmond Night Markets
LITTLE THINGS
- Food may be better than the snacks
- Matcha drinks are available but the menu is posted on the wall which we did not see. I actually complained about how they did not even have any too LOL
- I may revisit if someone wanted to try the food here because the owner was friendly
Service: 2.5/5
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