Korea the Land of Waffles.

I am currently on a semester exchange to Kyunghee University (경희 대학교 국제 캠퍼스) in Korea. A much welcomed break from the smog that is constantly plaguing Beijing and putting a dampener to all outdoor activities I would like to do in spring. Making the choice to go on exchange was not easy, primarily because I am worried that I would not have cleared enough credits to graduate by July 2015. The convoluted administrative system sent me running around 5 offices (back and forth between them no less) to get stamps so that I can put in my application to put my studies at Peking University on hold for a semester. What I cannot understand is why this cannot all be done online (since I did have to start out by filling in an online application, get it approved by office one, then embark on the torturous stamp collecting process>.<). But enough brooding over what is already in the past, and onward to my KOREA ADVENTURE!:)

I will cover the highs and lows of being in a foreign land and having to start making friends all over again in another post. Today's is dedicated to one of my many discoveries in my three weeks here- 

WAFFLES ^.^

Not just any waffles, but one with crispy, caramelised edges and a fragrance which compels you to have one despite the knowledge that you just had dinner,or that you are going to have dinner in 30 minutes. In my universe, I would be able to capture the fresh waffle smell on my iPhone and put a link of it here on this post so you guys can smell it too...but sadly since we are living in the Real World, pictures shall have to do. 

Waffle Bant original waffle- 1500 원

Cream Cheese waffle- 2700 원

The waffles are from a Korean waffle chain store called WAFFLE BANT (와플 반트), which sells Belgium style waffles. Though it has been three years since I had waffles in Belgium (ie. I can't remember the taste actually), this is the first time in a long while that I had a waffle that ticked most boxes off the my mental waffle checklist.

It was a tiny store tucked away in an unassuming location, and looks pretty normal on the outside. But if you push the door open, you will walk into a brick wall which smells like waffle heaven. Definitely worth a try if you are coming to Korea and would like something resembling afternoon tea (a concept that is not as popular here as it is in Singapore). 

The interior walls.

Point card- you get one chop for every waffle you buy, and with ten you get to redeem one! Quite an easy target to achieve even if you are just in Korea for a holiday, especially if you are travelling in a group.

Waffle Bant offers waffle-drink sets as well (different flavours of waffles + different types of drink) for a range of prices, and my personal favourite is the Original flavour plus Affogato set (5000원), as seen below:

Affogato: One shot of expresso poured over a serving of vanilla ice cream.

Other waffle flavours which my friends and I have tried (3 times in the past two weeks since I discovered it!) include sweet potato (고구마), walnut (월너트), blueberry (블루베리), white chocolate (화이트 초콜릿), dark chocolate (블랙 초콜릿) and cream cheese (크림 치즈). If you were wondering, yes we tried everything on the list:) An achievement!

In case you were wondering, the pink drink is actually a strawberry milkshake (of sorts). 

In my three times there, I noticed quite a few parents who bring their young children (probably between 5-8 years old) and the staff always asked if they would like for the waffle to be cut up and served on a plate, with forks and all, for the kids. So if you are touring and have kids, this is a good place to go! As with most Korean eating places, drinking water is self serve and always available:)

For more details you could check out their website: http://www.wafflebant.com/main_kr.php (ENGLISH IS AVAILABLE:))

Now that I am done with this post, I have half a mind to go there tomorrow after class. Be still, my fluttering heart.