Vancouver is very clearly a city of very passionate foodies. We love our sushi and we love authentic cuisine just as much as we enjoy creative fusion dishes. Vancouverites ride those culinary trends like nobody’s business and it seems like one of the bigger trends to emerge in recent years is the waffle. Waffles in general, but the Belgian liege waffle in particular. They’re not just frozen Eggos anymore. I’m no stranger, even though I grew up in a household devoid of waffle makers.
Arguably following in the footsteps of places like Off the Grid Waffles on Kingsway and Just Waffles on East Hastings, Waffle Gone Wild recently opened up on Canada Way near Boundary Road in Burnaby. It’s in one of the newer buildings in the area and it aims to deliver the Belgian waffle with a bit of Asian influence. Want some bubble tea? They’ve got that too.
While you can order a regular old Belgian liege waffle with the pearl sugar inside, you can also get a little fancier with something like the Home-Style Apple Cinnamon Pie-Inspired Waffle ($4.79). Tiny bits of apple cinnamon are stuffed inside and the waffle is topped with some powdered sugar. No syrup is provided, because this is not that kind of waffle.
From what I understand, unlike Just Waffles, the waffles at Waffle Gone Wild are made to order. It arrived warm, but I found this waffle to be too dry. The apple cinnamon flavor is good though.
If you’re looking for heartier fare, the menu also offers a number of savory options. One of the more ambitious is the Japanese Okonomiyaki Signature Waffle Creation ($9.49). Basically, many of the ingredients normally used in making okonomiyaki are used as toppings to go with the waffle.
This includes seasoned seaweed (nori), imitation crab meat, and bonito flakes, as well as okonomiyaki sauce (which is similar to tonkatsu sauce) and Japanese mayonnaise. A scoop of potato salad, some cucumber, and a few slices of apple are served on the side.
Much like the apple pie waffle, this too was on the dry side. It could have used more of both the okonomiyaki sauce and the mayonnaise. If you like takoyaki, okonomiyaki and that family of flavors, then this could be a good choice. It is a little spendy at almost ten bucks though.
The expansive drink menu at Waffle Gone Wild attempts to strike a balance between a distinguished tea house and a bubble tea joint. You can get fancy signature teas like a honey yuzu, white ginger pear, or Moroccan mint. You can also get espresso drinks, hot chocolate, fruit smoothies, and fruit-flavored tea.
We opted for the Cold Lavender Milk Tea with Pearls ($4.55). Served in an extra large glass that’s roughly the same volume as the big plastic bubble tea cups everywhere else, this drink packed plenty of lavender and the pearls had the right amount of “chew” to them.
This feels like the kind of place that either has a lot of potential or could close up shop in a few months. Despite name, the waffles themselves aren’t especially noteworthy and could use some refinement in their recipe. I do really appreciate the arrival of a good bubble tea joint in the neighborhood and, even though Starbucks is next door, this could be the biggest potential area of growth for them.
Waffle Gone Wild is located at 3726 Canada Way near Boundary Road in Burnaby. They’re open from 10 am to 10 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; from 10 am to 11 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; and closed Tuesdays.
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