Best Waffle place in town @ Waf O'Bel - Jagannathan Road, Nungambakkam

Those who have been following my posts over the last few years may by now have known that I'm a major dessert person. When it comes to dessert, I can gulp down anything and everything that is laid out on the table. But even I've had evenings when I really didn't feel indulging in a lot of sugar but yet craved for something sweet. My saviors on such days were 'Waffles' and occasionally the 'Pancakes' as I'd always considered pancakes a breakfast thingy. Having tasted some amazing waffles outside India, this was always a major setback for me in Chennai. There were only one or two places that served waffles that even had the right of being called waffles as most shops/kiosks/restaurants usually serve a huge chunk battery stuffs.

As I usually stick to the two trusted places, I was not so excited when I heard about 'Waf O'Bel', a dedicated stand alone waffle place opening, as I assumed it to be yet another shop claiming to serve something in the name of Belgian Waffles. But this perspective changed when curiosity got the better of me. Upon researching more about the place, I came to know that 'Waf O'Bel' has a Belgian Waffle Chef by the name of Christophe. The more intriguing aspect was the fact that they had both the types of Belgian Waffle, the 'Liege' and the 'Brussels'. This sealed the deal and I decided to visit them the same evening.

To all those thinking of a swanky place, do not expect further. 'Waf O'Bel' is located within a pizzeria and shares seating with them. They have a simple menu comprising of a selection of 'Liege' and 'Brussels' waffles along with a host of hot beverages. For those of you  wondering about the difference between the two types, 'Liege' waffles are made from brioche bread dough mixed with sugar crystals and are more denser than the commonly represented 'Brussels' waffles which is made from a light batter and hence more light and crispy. The waffles at 'Waf O'Bel' can be topped with chocolate chips, nutella, ice cream, bananas, whipped cream, fruit compote and sprinkles.

(Brussels Red Carpet)

(Liege Cool Banana) 

For the evening, I ordered for a 'Liege Cool Banana' and 'Brussels Red Carpet'. The Liege waffle as expected was dense and chewy with ample toppings of banana, nutella and whipped cream. However, the winner of the evening was definitely the Brussels Red Carpet. This was by far the lightest and the crispiest waffle I'd ever tasted in India. It was just mind blowing. I could have just sat there in oblivion downing waffle after waffle. The Red Carpet variant of the waffle had a topping of fruit compote and whipped cream. Now if anyone asks me where to head for some waffles, there are no longer multiple options, its just 'Waf O'Bel' as I'm sure if they continue to dish out waffles with such taste and consistency, they have a great demand awaiting them.

'Waf O'Bel' is located inside Eatzaa pizzeria (formerly known as Sam's Pizza) on Jagannathan road, Nungambakkam and the waffles cost about ₹ 70 for the waffle alone while with toppings it can range up to ₹ 140 plus taxes. 

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Banana Nutella Bread

One of the most divine pairing of ingredients has to be that of Chocolate & Banana. It gets more better when the chocolate is in the form of Nutella. There is no way a dish can go wrong with these two ingredients and it also becomes difficult to highlight who is the hero when they both are present. 

In the mood to get into some indulgence, I was scouring the internet for some yummylicious combination as I had plenty of time this Sunday afternoon. After several recipes, this recipe struck me as the best of the lot and knew that this was exactly what I needed to change the boring Sunday into an exciting one

Serves: 1 Loaf

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Oven time: 60 minutes

Resting time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Maida/All Purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/4 cup Ripened Bananas - Mashed
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 3/4 cup Nutella

Method:

1. Set the oven to pre-heat at 175 C.
2. In a bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk well to ensure they are mixed.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter with a electric mixer at medium speed.
4. Once it resembles a creamy consistency, add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
5. Now add the bananas, milk and vanilla to the large bowl and blend until all the ingredients are blended.
6. Add the flour mixture slowly into the large bowl beating at slow speed until flour mixture is well incorporated.
7. Heat the Nutella in a microwave for 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the bread batter to the nutella and stir until blended.
8. Butter the insides of bread loaf tin and then spoon the plain bread batter and the nutella batter alternatively.  
9. Using a knife, gently swirl the layers to get add texture to the bread.
10. Bake for 50 - 60 mins and then allow it too cool for a further 15 mins.
11. Now remove the loaf from the pan and allow it cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Chef In Training

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