Restaurant Review: Nero

NERO BELGIAN WAFFLE BAR

1002 Seymour Street ~ nerowafflebar.com

Twitter: @nerowafflebar ~ Instagram: @nerowafflebar

Co-Diner: Tim Golem

First there were cupcakes. Then there were donuts. Now there are waffles? Or maybe waffles have just been here all along. With two locations in Vancouver and Westender naming them as the #1 Best Waffles 2017, I had to give Nero Belgian waffle bar a try. We decided on their Downtown location, the larger of the two, as our intentions were to make an entire dinner out of our visit (as opposed to only a cafe/dessert type of experience). Waffles for dinner? It can be done and Nero proves it. I had expected the restaurant to appear quite casual and cafe-like, but to the contrary this space was modern and a lot more design-focused than I would have guessed. Warm wood tones and beautifully sculpted booths catch the eye, while dim lighting adds to the cosmopolitan feel. The open kitchen is very large and acts as a focal point. I had heard that the wait times can often be long, however we were seated at a booth immediately on the Saturday evening of our visit. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable, and even had a French accent himself! This location is particularly more fun out of the two because this one serves alcohol. Their cocktails sound like they would match the waffles very well. I simply chose the Lavender London Fog ($4.50) because I enjoy this drink a lot.

This was a really nice version of a London Fog and the lavender flavour came through in a delicately perfect way. I found this to be a good compliment to the type of food that I was about to eat. Nero prides themselves on making everything in-house and from scratch using the freshest natural and local ingredients, complemented with specialty ingredients from Belgium. You can easily see this process in action, as it is openly on display. You should also know that Nero offers two types of Belgian waffles: Liège and Brussels. The difference? Liège waffles are more round and originate from the south of Belgium. They are made from a brioche dough with chunks of pearl sugar incorporated into it. These sugar pearls caramelize when baked at the right temperature in the cast iron waffle iron. This waffle is soft, sweet and chewy. Brussels waffles are rectangular and are prepared with an egg white and yeast leavened batter. Cooked in special cast iron waffle irons at a high temperature, these waffles turn out light and crisp. When in doubt, try both! There are four savoury waffle offerings on the menu (they all sound delicious!) and that constitutes dinner if you ask me! I really liked the sound of the Liège aux Fromages ($9.00).

I also added crispy prosciutto ($2.50) because everything is better with prosciutto, of course. I didn’t realize it upon ordering, but this dish is essentially a waffle grilled cheese sandwich, served with ketchup and all. It was delicious and a wonderful combination of salty and sweet with a bit of heat. The waffle itself was sweet, delicious and cooked perfectly. I loved the embedded sunflower seeds. Inside was an oozing array of melty cheese as well as bits of prosciutto. I dipped many bites into the spicy tomato chutney (ketchup) and everything about it was a dream come true. The greens that were included were a lot more than a boring side salad. Firstly, the whole thing was generously covered in even more prosciutto, so crispy and salty and good. The arugula was well dressed and there were nuts and cucumber involved as well. This entire dish was exciting and fun. Next time I would like to try the smoked salmon one! We couldn’t ignore dessert in a place like this. There are several options offered with fruit (which would be great for breakfast) and also several that are served with homemade ice cream (perfect for dessert). While the Banella Brûlée sounded amazing, we chose the Speculoos ($8.90). You get to choose which type of waffle that you would like used, and we chose the liège for its sweetness.

What is speculoos? It’s a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit, similar to gingerbread but lighter and crispier. It’s very popular in Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. This dessert was very good and came with an enormous scoop of ice cream. Decadent and sweet, the crunch from the cookie worked well with the chewy waffle and creaminess of everything else. I would absolutely return to Nero. Their waffles are delicious and they are doing fun and interesting things with them. You can even pop in and pick up mini liège waffles to go. The prices are reasonable and the overall experience is very good. Enjoy waffles in a way that you never have before! It’s the new craze!