A foodie I got to know through my club opened a Belgian waffle shop in Mokdong, so I dropped by for a bit. He told me he went all the way to Belgium himself to learn the true essence of waffle-making. It’s a fair way from home, but I set aside time on the weekend to go.
A street scene in Mokdong
It had been ages. A broadcasting station has moved in, and cinemas and bookshops too – the area has developed a lot. The waffle shop is in the main district, but it sits inside a building, so it isn’t all that easy to find. The interior is gorgeous, though it’s a slight mismatch with the shops around it.
The waffle
The batter is the soft style, and with pearl sugar the surface has melted a little. You could call it a refined sweetness, but in another sense you could say the flavour has no focal point and is a bit plain. In particular – for someone like me – the more you eat in one sitting, the more you tend to tire of them. (I think I got through about five that day.) The taste has real character, and it’s an authentic style unlike the waffles we’re used to, so I expect opinions will swing wildly depending on personal preference. He also said he has no plans to offer toppings like syrup or ice cream the way other shops do. The owner has his principles.
Personally I think they work as a snack, but they’d also be fine as a meal (breakfast?). And considering the price of 1,800 won, there’s hardly anything out there these days that gives you this much satisfaction for a snack. According to the friend who came with me, the 2,000 won coffee is also unbelievably good for the price. No surprise, since they use beans supplied by Bohemian, the famous coffee shop in Gangneung.
The Waffle Verviers logo.
The logo is lovely. It gives off a genuine Belgian vibe. The shop is short on tables, so it’s awkward to use it like a coffee shop. And that day a lot of the club members turned up, so we were rather short on chairs.
The owner and a shot of the shop
The interior is really modern. From what the owner said, Mokdong has a well-developed shopping district, so quite a few people come by to buy waffles.
Waffles on display
If you ask for a freshly baked one, they’ll bake it for you right away. It takes a while from pouring the batter to the waffle being done, so if your timing is off you’ll have to wait.
The painting on the wall
The work of a talented illustrator. The couple at the far left is the illustrator herself and her partner, I was told.
Where I live is far, far away from Mokdong so I don’t think I’ll be able to stop by often, but I’ll be wishing them good business from a distance. And if it’s a runaway hit, don’t forget you owe me a treat~