The Well-Tempered Chocolatier

Grabbing a better waffle

November 5, 2008 · 6 Comments

I stopped by Patisserie LeBeau this morning and grabbed a Liege waffle for the road.  Brace yourselves, folks – what I’m about to say might be offensive to some people.

I don’t like the Liege waffles at Patisserie LeBeau.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I really like Patisserie LeBeau’s Belgian waffles and sandwiches, and the cafe is quite cute.  It’s a great place for a snack or lunch, with waffles priced from $1.75 – $4.00, and sandwiches for about $7.00. I usually go there with a foodie friend of mine to fuel up on sugar and caffeine, and then we go two doors down to Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks and Les Amis du Fromage.  It might well be the most dangerous city block for me to walk down, given the deadly combination of waffles, cookbooks, and cheese. 

But back to the waffles.  Belgian and Liege waffles are both made from a yeast-based batter (as opposed to American waffles, which are chemically leavened with baking powder), but that’s where the similarities end.  Genuine Belgian waffles are square or rectangular, and really fluffy.  They can be filled with sweet or savoury fillings, but don’t ask me how Patisserie LeBeau does it. It’s kind of like a Caramilk bar, but with waffle instead of chocolate, and filling instead of caramel.  Try the peach & custard Belgian waffle, warmed in the oven.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Liege waffles, on the other hand, are smaller and denser, and have these delicious chunks of nib sugar inside them.  The sugar really does make all the difference, because it lends a really nice texture to the waffle.  If you’re lucky enough to get a sugar chunk on the outside of the waffle, it goes all toasty and caramel-y.  However – and this is where some readers might take offence – I think the Liege waffles at Patisserie LeBeau are a little bit too dry.  The nib sugar provides a pleasant distraction and the waffles are really tasty, but in the end I can’t deny that they’re too dry for my liking. 

This is not to say that I don’t like Liege waffles.  I really like the ones at Cafe Medina, but that’s another post for another time. 

Patisserie LeBeau
1728 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
604-731-3528
www.grababetterwaffle.com
Patisserie Lebeau on Urbanspoon

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks
1740 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
604-688-6755
www.bookstocooks.com 

Les Amis du Fromage
1752 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
604-732-4218
www.buycheese.com
Les Amis Du Fromage on Urbanspoon

Categories: Restaurant reviews
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6 responses so far ↓

  • colene // November 5, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    yes! i totally agree. i used to love patisserie lebeau..but then i discovered cafe medina and fell in love. so delish!

  • thewelltemperedchocolatier // November 5, 2008 at 11:41 pm

    Whew! I remember a status post on facebook where you raved about the waffles at Patisserie LeBeau, so I was worried I’d incur your wrath for saying that they were something other than delicious. Well, the Belgian waffles are delicious. But Cafe Medina definitely has them beat on the Liege waffles.

  • cassie1013 // August 8, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Yes, I have to agree. I like LeBeau, but since they’re dryer, it starts to feel like a chew-a-thon eating them. Also, they’re soo dense that they give me heartburn. I still like them, but not as much as Medina.

    Meh, I keep a box of frozen lebeau’s on hand just in case….but totally hear ya.

  • Eagranie // August 10, 2009 at 12:09 am

    Cassie – LeBeau waffles aren’t bad when they’re warmed up, and I do admit that I like the giant chunks of sugar in them.

    But it’s just so much nicer to go to Medina and get them fresh…and they have all those delicious toppings, to boot.

  • Marc // April 3, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Individuals believing they need to share their knowledge regarding food establishments with others by posting their comments online, should take a deep breath and should think twice before posting such incorrect statements. If you as a person do not like Liege waffles, than PLEASE do not create for others to read a negative review, since their is nothing wrong with the product itself. It’s just you (!) who does not like original Liege waffles. Nobody in Vancouver produces better waffles based on original European recipes than Patisserie Lebau. I’ve been a Senior Vice President for more than 15 years at a European Baker / Patisserie Association and have not tasted anything wich comes even close to their products in the GVRD.

  • Eagranie // April 5, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Hi Marc,

    Thanks for your comment. I’ll ignore the irony that you say that people shouldn’t post incorrect comments but that you have posted an “incorrect” comment. Clearly, I’m not the only one who doesn’t like them, which you would know if you had read the post and the comments in their entirety.

    Also, I should mention that someone from Patisserie LeBeau followed up with me a while ago to take offence to this post, claiming that the waffles are too dry because they need to be heated to be enjoyed properly. To which I say, heating the waffles isn’t an option at Patisserie LeBeau (at least, it has never been offered to me when I’ve been in there), so that’s a really lame excuse. If you’re going to put your name behind a product but not present it to the customer in the way that it’s best, then that’s not my problem.

    Also, did you miss the part where I say that the Belgian waffles are really good?

    Finally, this is just my opinion. I never said “OMG, teh waffles are teh gross.” I simply said that I don’t like them. And anyone who reads this is welcome to make their own decision as to whether they agree with me.

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