Bubble Waffle Cafe, Cantonese Food Stand
The first bubble waffle cafe I tried was the one in Landsdowne Mall. I considered it a high-school kids operated food station at the time. Their bubble waffle are too awful to call themselves the “Bubble Waffle Cafe”. Obviously, their business model took off with all the people whose only consideration for food is the price. Bubble Waffle Cafe can now be found in most malls in the lower mainland. Bubble Waffle Cafe calls themselves “Hong Kong and Taiwanese Cuisine”. I can tell you right now that Bubble Waffle Cafe may give their food Taiwanese names, but their food are not Taiwanese cuisine. Their food has lots of carbs. It is similar to Cantonese Style Cafe food, so I guess it is Hong Kong Cuisine.
Bubble Waffle Cafe Hainanese Chicken Overall
The first bubble waffle cafe I tried was the one in Landsdowne Mall. I considered it a high-school kids operated food station at the time. Their bubble waffle are too awful to call themselves the “Bubble Waffle Cafe”. Obviously, their business model took off with all the people whose only consideration for food is the price. Bubble Waffle Cafe can now be found in most malls in the lower mainland.
Strength: Fast service, lunch under $10
Weakness: Sloppy, unauthentic, generic food
Other Bubble Waffle Places
- Rainbow Cafe (4 Stars)
Bubble Waffle Cafe is always located in malls
Bubble Waffle Cafe calls themselves “Hong Kong and Taiwanese Cuisine”. I can tell you right now that Bubble Waffle Cafe may give their food Taiwanese names, but their food are not Taiwanese cuisine. Their food has lots of carbs. It is similar to Cantonese Style Cafe food, so I guess it is Hong Kong Cuisine.
Very good online ordering system with discount
I like Bubble Waffle Cafe’s online ordering system. It is advanced in ways that it’s fool-proof. You order through their website, and will be given a number. With the number, you can go to the self serve system to pay and get the receipt. You then use the receipt to claim your food. It is very convenient and time efficient way to order for both the vendor and customers.
Taiwanese Bubble Tea are served here
I saw the sign, but I am not courageous enough to try the bubble tea here. There are too many store owners who think Taiwanese bubble tea means milk+tea+ice+pearl, and none of the ingredients were properly made. Let me know if you tried it and think their bubble tea is the real deal.
Hong Kong Style Drinks
These Hong Kong Style drinks are the same as what you can see in most Cantonese Style Cafe. They are simple drinks, but good to have with your food.
Cheap Bubble Waffle with purchase of meal
I have always wondered why this chain call themselves “Bubble Waffle Cafe” when you literally cannot find bubble waffles worse than the ones you get here. Then I realized their name doesn’t come from tasty bubble waffles, it comes from the goal to mass produce cheap but poorly made bubble waffles.
Stamp card for bubble waffle
The business idea is to get you to use $10 to buy a bowl of rice or noodle to fill yourself up. With that purchase, you get to buy a bubble waffle for $1.50, 1/3 of the price of a properly made bubble waffle from Rainbow Cafe. Then you get a stamp towards a free bubble waffle.
Thoughtful To-Go Package
I like their to-go strategy. Everything is conveniently put in a bag. Customers can pay and grab their food in a efficient manner. The package is usually nicely placed. My Hananese Chicken Rice combo had a wide plate so they had to put my drinks side-way. There is also a straw that comes with the drink, and a prepackaged utensil.
A complete prepackaged utensil
The bubble waffle franchise chain obviously put a lot of thoughts into the finer details. Their prepackaged utensil includes a pair of chopstick, plastic spoon, a piece of napkin and a tooth pick. I like how this would prevent potential mistakes, and save time for both customers and vendors. Unfortunately, the napkin has a bit of chemical smell. I would try to avoid using it on my mouth.
Hananese Chicken Rice with lid cover
The wide plate has a lot of steam on the lid. I can faintly make out 3 compartment. The lid was securely sealed, but not too hard to open. This is very good quality for to-go box.
There is lots of rice
I was presented with rice, chicken, and veggie when I opened the lid. The amount of rice is more than the chicken and veggies combined.
This is not Hananese Chicken
The chicken does not taste anything like Hainanese chicken. It taste like water boiled chicken that is lightly fried after. I can see the discoloration around the edge of the chicken skin. The texture of chicken is quite dry. A lot of the interior moisture have been lost. It’s good that the chicken has been deboned.
Chicken are soaked in soup
The chicken was served in quite a bit of soup. This makes up for the dryness in the chicken.
Strange brown dots in my rice
The massive amount of rice is a bit flavorless. Most restaurants serving Hananese chicken would have their rice cooked with chicken fat and seasoning. This practice gives the rice a lot of chicken flavor. The rice become part of the enjoyable elements of the Hananese chicken. Bubble Waffle Cafe’s rice here feel like it’s made with powder. They use rice with minimal starch. There is a lot of inconsistencies in the texture of the rice. Some parts are fluffy and others are stuck in a block. You can also see some areas of brown dots. I am guessing they are the chicken powder, but cannot be sure.
604 Food Critic Assessment
Bubble waffle is known for their low cost with medium level food. My Hananese chicken rice combo with a drink cost less than $10 when ordered online. The food quality is below average, but I really can’t complain about the price. I see why a lot of people would come here to line up. As for recommendation, I cannot say. It all depends on your tolerance on the food quality.
Menu
