While we were in Japan, my gourmet sister took us around to a few delicious places around Ginza. One of the places we went was a small waffle shop, not a café but take-out only kind of shop. We went late one evening on weeknight, and it was not busy. My sister told us they usually have a long line, so we were super lucky! Maybe because it was raining, and kind of late.
The selection was a bit slim, though. It seems that lots of people have come by earlier in the day and bought off many items. They had some special flavors that come out every few months or many even more frequently sometimes.
I had the REAL Belgian waffles when I visit Belgium with my mother several years ago, and they were fabulous! They had waffles with all sorts of toppings, from fruits to chocolate, whipped cream, nuts, etc., etc… But, we were told that those are for tourists. If we want to have the true flavor of their Belgian waffle, you must get it without any topping! So, we did as advised, and it was sooo good! Japanese people are really good at bringing all kinds of dishes and desserts to perfection, and even to the next level. So I was very excited to try these cute waffles.
They import special “pearl sugar” from Belgium, which is an essential ingredient to their waffle. It helps produce the distinctive crispy texture of their waffle. All the other ingredients are also carefully selected to create the perfect waffle. They incorporate traditional recipe from Belgium, and mix with flavors loved and adored by Japanese people.
They had one special flavor on that day we visited, so we bought one of that, and another flavor as well. We took them back to our hotel and had them with coffee. The special flavor was Cream Cheese (160 yen/around $1.60). It had freeze-dry strawberries in the batter, and cream cheese placed on top. It was really, REALLY tasty!!! The exterior was crispy, while the inside was moist, fluffy, and light. Elegantly sweet, every bite was heavenly.
The other flavor of our choice was Raisin Butter (160 yen). It had rum raisin mixed in the batter, which was amazing! It didn’t look like much, but it was certainly packed with flavor! It had great aroma of rum raisin, and bits of raisin were visible as you bit into it. Buttery and comforting, a perfect little sweet snack!!!
My sister’s reputation as the “gourmet sister” is still strong… She really knows what’s good! We totally enjoyed these waffles for our afternoon snack. I would love to try more of their flavors!
Manneken – 5-7-19, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
銀座マネケン – 東京都中央区銀座 5-7-19, 第一生命銀座フォリービル 1階