Hidden cafe with savoury buttermilk waffle burgers, loaded cookies & lava milk drinks

Waffl. is located in the neighbourhood of Jurong East Street 24 along a row of shops underneath a HDB void deck. The Muslim-owned cafe serves a variety of savoury waffle burgers, brownies, cookies, ice cream, and beverages.

Waffl. is the brainchild of Lutfil, 30 and Joshua, 27. They had no prior F&B experience with one of them dealing with events and the other, 3D printing.

They first started out at the now defunct Eatbox food court at Tekka Place, and have recently moved here in 2022.

The cafe features a minimalist design and radiates a relaxing vibe. They open only in the afternoon and close after dinner hours, so this is the perfect spot for late night dessert  and supper fixes.

What I tried at Waffl.

Together with my dining partners, we kick-started our mid-afternoon feast with the Smoked Salmon Waffl. Burger (S$10.90). The dish consisted of a ‘burger’ constructed with a pair of perfectly symmetrical square waffles.

It had a thin layer of sour cream spread below. Strips of smoked salmon were placed on top, followed by a sprinkling of dry dill. It was served with a side of cheesy chips.

Despite the fact that the waffles had gotten cold due to my lengthy photo and video taking session (it was a hectic work afternoon), we were surprised that the dough had managed to stay crispy and fluffy. What sorcery was this?

The waffle was also moist and had an aromatic buttery flavour. It made me reminisce about the waffles I used to eat at A&W when I was a kid.

I doubt you can ever go wrong with a sour cream and smoked salmon combo, but my only gripe with it was that the flavour was one-dimensional. I wish they had added something acidic like pickles or even tweaked the sour cream to make it citrusy. It would’ve added hints of brightness to the dish.

The chips on the side were drizzled with generous amounts of mayonnaise and cheese sauce and sprinkled with spring onions— they were pretty light and indulgent.

We then moved on to the next dish, the Kimchi Chicken Waffl. Burger (S$10.90).

A thin layer of kimchi was laid at the bottom followed by a crispy chicken thigh. Korean gochujang and cheese sauce was then artfully drawn like an abstract piece of art on top before it was sandwiched nicely in between the 2 pieces of waffle.

There was at least a full minute of complete silence while we savoured it. It was followed by a trio of heads bobbing up and down in-sync at how satisfyingly good it was.

The chicken thigh was crispy and moist. In addition, it had a gentle spice kick which gradually alerted my taste buds to its presence.

The tangy kimchi provided another crunchy element with bursts of sour notes permeating my mouth with every bite.

We then moved on to something sweet, the Hazelnut S’mores Cookie (S$5.50). It was a thiccc cookie with a layer of hazelnut praline and marshmallow on top. The decadent nutty praline was warm and melted, and its creaminess gelled so well with the sweetness of the s’mores.

However, we weren’t fans of the cookie itself. The dough got stuck to the palate of our mouths and the insides were slightly soggy. I would’ve preferred if it was a little more baked.

Thankfully,  Biscoff Brownie (S$4.60) saved the day. Those with a penchant for chocolate will love the brownie which had a lava Biscoff filling that mirrored the caramel-ly tastes of the Lotus biscuit on top.

We also tried the iced Matcha Lava Milk (S$6) and iced Milo Lava Milk (S$6). You’ll be given a choice of flavours for each of them: vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and macadamia.

I paired my Matcha Lava Milk with vanilla, and the bitter notes of the matcha matched perfectly with the creamy vanilla taste. But the Milo Lava Milk with macadamia took my breath away.

We were intrigued by the nuttiness of the macadamia syrup juxtaposed with the malty milo taste (I’m ordering this again on my next visit).

Final Thoughts

We initially felt that the location wasn’t the most accessible, with the expressway being adjacent to it. But it was calming to see a decent clientele of young and old customers streaming into the cafe on a lazy Monday afternoon.

It looks like Singaporeans are always willing to travel for good food. And this place is the perfect example of that.

Expected damage: S$15 – S$22 per pax

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