I have always lamented the fact that there is no proper coffee in my vicinity. Every good, or even simply a "proper" cafe are at least 30-40 minutes away and on a busy traffic day, it might take up to an hour and a 30 minute ride to just get a cup of nice coffee. And then there's the journey back. Ain't nobody got time for that!
That is up until a few weeks back something interesting popped up on the map, a little place called "Waffle Zone."
It wasn't something that really caught my attention at all at first. Nowhere in its name did it suggest it was a cafe, or it even serves coffee. Even their menu on the delivery apps shows only waffles. So I can be excused for not paying zero attention to it.
However, the name popped up again in a conversation I was having with my colleagues when we were on the way for a day outing and a close friend of mine spoke quite highly of their waffles. The only question I asked him was, Do they serve "proper, proper" coffee?
And when he assured me that they do indeed serve proper coffee is when I first took some interest in the shop.
And soon after, I visited the place with my wife. It was a really really small shop, yet it wasn't cramped for space at all. there were only 4 or 5 tables if I remember correctly and I don't know how they are running the business with such a small capacity - I mean, the coffee machine setups alone must have cost a fortune! Because sure as hell, they had one fancy espresso machine that looked like the highest standard! And they even buy their beans from one of the best, and most expensive suppliers in the country - North End coffee roasters!
I was quite excited to try out their coffee. While my wife and I waited for our lattes, we ordered a couple of waffles, duh!
I am not really a big fan of sweet shit. This looked overdone with whipped cream and colourful sprinkles and what not! Yet somehow, the sweetness was controlled just enough to not make my palate go overboard. It does become a bit clawy as I approached the final few bites. But it was a nice treat if I rate it honestly. And we have actually went back there a couple of times more later.
But the center of attention was definitely going to be the late and the presentation did not disappoint at all! i mean just look at how elegant the serving looks! I am a sucker for plain black cups, and this hit me at all the right spots!
The barrista was not one of those expert barristas I could tell at how shaky and unsure he was while making the coffee. But believe you me, the coffee tasted just absolutely perfect! It was one of the smoothest lattes I have had since "The Courtyard." Because this is just a small family run business, it will probably never reach the magnitude of something like Tabaq, but if you wann judge purely on the quality and taste of the coffee, "Waffle Zone" does give Tabaq a run for its money and I am not even kidding!
This is from another one of our later visits! The fact that it is so close to our home, we are very likely to be frequenting this cafe and the price is 40% less than that of the chain cafes! We may have just found our favourite place for coffee!
But as is the problem with family run small businesses, when the profits runs dry the shop can one day just simply vanish. Poof!