Bubble Waffle Cafe

I’ve said it before. And I’ll say it again. The food court in Crystal Mall is a wonderland of delicious fare. Yes, there’s the mediocre. But with some perseverance and a bit of research, one can find a great lunch. As I’m already loaded with perseverance, all it took was discovering Selina’s Vancity Noms post on Crystal Mall’s latest treasure, Bubble Waffle Cafe.

Normally, upon seeing the words “bubble” or “waffle” on a food stall sign, I’d quickly veer away to seek out one selling some form of spicy soup. “Bubble” and “waffle” don’t quite conjure up thoughts of Laksa, Szechuan, Thai or any form of chile-laden soups. It turns out, Bubble Waffle serves up some seriously spicy soups in many varieties.

Bubble Waffle has it all going on. And at great value to boot. There’s fifteen or so soup bases to choose from. All come with crunchy cabbage, cilantro and silky tofu. You load on two toppings of your choice. Pick a noodle and voila! A customized bowl of somewhat healthy soup. 🙂

I have a personal favorite that I just can’t stop ordering.

Malaysian Laksa with Fried Shrimp Ball and Fried Fish Cake. On the menu checklist it’s listed as Curry Sauce. The sign at the counter says Malaysian Laksa. Confusion, yes! Seriously freaking delicious? Yes, as well! There’s incredible flavor going on here. Rich coconut milk teeming with chile oil, dried shrimp, curry, garlic topped with snappy fish cake and bouncy shrimp balls. I’ve tried this with the rice noodle. They don’t quite hold up to the heat. The ramen, on the other hand, stay nice and chewy here. A killer bowl, through and through.

Becky went with the Tom Yum Goong Soup with the same toppings. As he stormed through his bowl in near record time, I’ll just assume it was pretty solid!

The soup, on it’s own, is a darn good deal. The add-ons make your meal an incredible bargain.

Bubble Waffle. Take a waffle press. Turn it inside out and presto! You’ve got bubble waffles. Or egg balls. Crunchy, slightly sweet and very addictive. Normally priced at $3.75 but with a soup order they magically become $1.

For another buck or so you can take your pick of a slush, green tea or milk tea.

The full combo meal here is an incredible value. A big bowl, waffle and drink sets one back nine bucks. After a couple visits they give you a 10% off coupon. Then yur looking at around $8 for the full-meal-deal.

Solid. Really, really solid.