Belgian Liege Waffles, possibly the most perfect food on the face of this planet

When I was on my way to Brussels, Belgium from Antwep hopping back on a train, I picked up a waffle (wafel) at the train station. I selected a plain waffle with a sheer dusting of powdered sugar. The lesson I learned was not to judge a waffle before you take a bite. This waffle was one of the most incredible things I have ever tasted. The outside was uniformly golden brown with a crust that makes its presence known. The inside was soft pillowy carby goodness with a sweet crunch of caramelized sugar.

This is the best #waffle I have had in my whole life. I bought it at the train station in #Antwerp for 2 euros. Best purchase yet! #belgium #food

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Oct 19, 2016 at 1:21pm PDT

I became obsessed with these waffles. They bore little resemblance to their thin, tough, and limp US counterparts. I found that a food truck in Austin served legit wafels. I have confirmed that they make a dough (legit) as opposed to that pale liquid waffle batter that you get at hotel hot breakfast bars.

Wafels come with an assortment of toppings and dips in Belgium.

 And I took it upon myself to figure out how to make them. After spending hours (yes, hours) researching the thickest waffle makers available and reading up on recipes. I thought I was a ready. I purchased Presto Flipside Belgian Waffle Maker that was touted to deliver the thickest waffles. I’ve baked many things in my lifetime, and the yeast-y dough of the leige waffle was well within my skill set. I made my own pearl sugar, and I tried a few haphazard batches based off the Smitten Kitchen recipe. I will admit that cleaning up a waffle iron is too much of a trouble, and I shouldn’t be making leige wafels at home that often anyways. I don’t need to spend time getting caramelized sugar off an iron that doesn’t have removable plates nor does my rear need that many waffles.  The Wafel Guys should be my go to when it is time to treat myself to a taste of Belgium, in moderation of course.

A video posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Dec 15, 2016 at 6:38pm PST

Fortunately for me, the day that I decided that leige wafels should not be made at home, I walked by a sample cart at Costco with waffles. I was skeptical that something so amazing could come out of a plastic clamshell from an American warehouse store. 

A pack of 12 are 6.99. These are a seasonal item.

Again, I was wrong. Julian’s waffles are amazing. You can purchase them on Amazon if you don’t have a Costco membership, and some grocery stores may carry them as well. It looks like I can pick some up at my local grocery chain.

Wafels are in high demand. I demand one right now!

This blogpost originally started as a “how to make leige waffles.” It is now a “go to The Wafel Guys in Austin or buy Julian’s waffles.” 

Go big or go home. I'm doing both. Last #waffle in Europe is covered in #chocolate, whipped cream, and walnuts. #amsterdam #netherlands

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Oct 26, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT

Vaals, Three Points in Europe, Printen, Lebanese Eats, and Aachen

While we were in the Maastricht area, we rented a car to travel the roads less taken. Driving in the area gave me a better idea of the geography and lifestyle of Europe. In just 40 minutes, we were able to go from a college center of the Netherlands and pop over into the spa town of Aachen, Germany. I can barely get from one end of Austin to the other end when there is no traffic in that time. It is wild to think that I can drive into another country in such little time.

I'm in three countries at the same time. It is possible without the use of body doubles!

On the way to Germany, we made a stop in Vaals to visit the point where three countries meet. On top of the hill of Vaalserberg, you can hop from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. If your arms and legs are long enough, you can be in all three countries at the same time. This point sits in the middle of what seems to be an enchanted forest with no rigid physical borders for kilometers around.

This elephant was in the labyrinth.

On the Netherland side of the point, there is a fun labyrinth that will give you either hours of joy or frustration. For just 5 euros, you can join many other people running around in a maze of hedges, raised platforms, and motion triggered fountains. The goal is to get to the center of the maze, and then out of the maze. The GPS claimed that I went seven miles running through this maze before reaching the center with some help. That must have burned off a Belgian Wafel or more. I’d recommend it for children and adult, especially those children with an abundance of energy.

I'm at the center platform of the labyrinth after too much time running around in the rain.

The labyrinth had mazes for you to play to help you forget how long you were stuck in there. This one is the run away train concept. You at the entrance in the bottom and you can only turn in the direction of the curves. No curve = no turns.

Next on our drive through Europe was a stop in Aachen, a border down in Germany. Aachen is know for the mineral springs and plethora of fountains, and there are a few interesting activities for visitors. We visited the Charlemagne Museum, we had a treat at Noobis including a taste of Printen, took some photos of the fountains, had some very delicious Lebanese food, and then visited the Carolus Thermen Spa. 

Here's a delicious treat from Nobis.

Nobis is a popular eatery with many sweet treats including a printen shop next door. We had a light cake in the eatery along with some samples of printen. Printen comes in different shapes and sizes, the hedgehog being the cutest. The printen cookies are a hard and crunchy spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove, anise, cardamon, coriander, and allspice.

The cutest little printen I've ever seen.

Many more trays of pastries at Nobis.

While in Aachen, we found a lovely Lebanese restaurant called AKL. The website isn’t in English, but you can point to whatever you want when you arrive. We ordered the grilled meat plate for two, and it might feed up to four people who aren’t quite so hungry. While verbal communication with the staff was a little difficult, I did manage to get the ingredients for the an amazing delicious sauce they served. It was an orange slightly tangy and rich sauce made of onion, orange juice, and sesame paste. My best guess is that it is a variant of Lebanese garlic sauce. 

Grilled meat platter for two.

After the delicious meal of smokey meats and fries, we drove over to the Carlos Thermen Spa. While it says spa in the name, there are some things that are different from spa in the United States. At Carlos Thermen, you’ll need to bring your own towel. There aren’t clean towels and robes provided for you. You’ll need to bring your own sandals or flip flops unless you want to run around barefoot. You’ll also need a bathing suit of sorts. The spa areas are communal, and there are occasional youngsters around. Make sure your stuff is covered. In terms of changing, there is one very large changing room with individual stalls. The showers and bathrooms are split by gender. 

So many things here are covered in gold.

There are several warm pools with massaging jets, one very chilly pool, and a steam room for your enjoyment in the main areas. There are other amenities too along with food and beverage service, but I didn’t use those services. I spent my time in the larger communal area that is included in the pass price (12 euros for 2.5 hours). The spa was very enjoyable, and I might even splurge to be able to use the additional services offered next time.

One of the fountains in the center of the Aachen Square. 

Bun Vietnamese Food in Antwerp, Belgium

One of the most intriguing dining experiences during the trip was at a place called Bun in Antwerp. We discovered that it had pretty good reviews and menu items that were off the beaten path, and that pretty much fits the dining on vacation criteria.

The restaurant’s tag like is "Our story is one of East meets West" referring to the chefs, Hoa Truong & Huibrecht Berends. I spied some books for sale in the restaurant so there’s a larger story about the restaurant’s history and chefs that I would certainly love to explore if we had more time in Antwerp. The books are written by the chef of Bun’s sister restaurant, Little Asia in Brussels. To clarify, Hoa Truong’s sister is the owner of Little Asia, so they really are sister restaurants. At least what’s what I can piece together with the translations. 

Since we arrived at the restaurant for lunch right at opening, we were able to snag some seats near a large window. However, do be warned that the restaurant is limited in seats so you may want to make reservations during busy hours.

We ordered a variety of dishes, and each one was distinctly unique and delightful in its own way. Let’s take a walk through the menu.

We started with the dog cockles, otherwise known as European Bittersweet clams served with Vietnamese flavors. These were refreshing, simple, and divine. 

Next up was a warm beef bun that oozed of umami. This was comfort food!

And the next savory course was the ca kho which was spicy caramelized plaice fillet over white rice. This was one of the best rice and fish dishes I have ever had, and I have had many rice and fish dishes. The fish was sweet but not sugary. The texture was firm yet delicate. I would highly recommend this dish. 

Dessert was fermented sticky rice. It does not sound interesting, and it certainly did not look sexy. However, it was super tasty. Fermented sticky rice is made with the same yeast that is used to make sake. This tasted like a porridge spiked with fizzy sake, and it was very interesting.

And you know that a dish is really remarkable when you look up how to make it at home. I ordered some rice yeast balls from Amazon in preparation for my next experiment. 

Lastly, we were gifted with some ginger chocolate truffles to finish off our lunch. If I had an extra meal to spend in Belgium, I would ride over to Brussels and try the sister restaurant, Little Asia.