I recently visited Swensen’s in West Mall and thought I’d try my hand at creating my own waffle, a new option they started offering earlier this year. Unfortunately, being able to customize your waffle doesn’t mean jack when the waffle itself is a total disaster.
(I forgot to take a pic of the place’s interior,
so here’s a random one I took of a root beer float
I had at the Clementi Mall outlet years ago)
This was badder than bad. Probably the worst waffle I’ve ever had up till now (and that’s really saying something, considering how many bad waffles I’ve sampled over the course of my life). It was dense, doughy, and somehow managed to taste like it had been sitting out for hours despite being freshly baked. The batter seemed like it was either poorly mixed or undercooked, resulting in this horrible spongy texture that was hard to chew, let alone swallow. It goes without saying that I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. (Even more depressing was how I found myself scraping the toppings off the waffle and enjoying them more than the f**king waffle itself.)
On the bright side, the Salted Butterscotch Ice Cream was actually pretty awesome. Swensen’s has always excelled at everything butterscotch-related (or maybe it’s just that butterscotch is impossible to screw up), so this flavour was smooth, creamy, and had that perfect balance of sweet and salty. Alas, the Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream that I also had didn’t fare as well—it tasted downright weird and has convinced me that truffle oil should be left for savoury dishes.
At the end of the day, Swensen’s holds a special place in my heart for nostalgic reasons, and I’ll probably continue to swing by for old time’s sake. However, let’s face it, their waffles have always been subpar and it seems like they’re not even trying with it anymore. So unless you’re looking to throw your hard-earned cash down the drain or are into some kind of culinary self-punishment, I highly recommend avoiding anything waffle-related here.
Ratings:
WAFFLE: 1/5
SALTED BUTTERSCOTCH ICE CREAM: 4/5
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE ICE CREAM: 1.5/5
Address (West Mall outlet):
1 Bukit Batok Central Link, #02-05, West Mall, 658713
Contact: 6898 9281
Website: swensens.com.sg
