Brunch at Jack’s Wife Freda-Soho (NYC)

The name is catchy, the place is always packed and everyone raves about it. Of course I had to check it out.  Jack’s Wife Freda is a new-ish addition to the Soho neighborhood where husband and wife bring together their experience and backgrounds to create a new and unique menu and flavors. Dean is from South Africa and Maya is from Israel which makes complete sense with one glance at the menu.

DSC_0216Arriving early on a Saturday there were only a few tables left and we were seated outside. The menu/placemat was simple with limited options. Two dishes were ordered: the Mediterranean breakfast and the Rosewater waffles.

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The poached eggs came with a side of sliced avocados, labne, pita and salad which resembled and tasted identical to the traditional persian salad (salad shirazi) consisting of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. It was healthy, fresh and satisfying. DSC_0222

I had really high expectations for the rosewater waffles being from a country where rosewater originated and is used liberally on many sweet dishes. This waffle barely tasted like rosewater and was really not that special. There was nothing that made it stand out from any other restaurant waffle except the use of yogurt as opposed to whipping cream. DSC_0220

Based on the two dishes we tried, we both agreed that there was too much hype around this place. Yes the name is catchy, the location is cool and the clientele is young and stylish, but there was nothing about the food itself that stood out. So if its ambiance you are after then sure this is the place for it, but if you just want really good food there are plenty of options in the neighborhood with less of a line up.
DSC_0219 DSC_0218  Jack's Wife Freda on Urbanspoon

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Waffles at Nero Belgian Waffle Bar (Vancouver, Canada)

Vancouver has many things but one thing that it lacks is a good selection of dessert shops that are open late. The only place to have desserts in the west end used to be True Confections who, let’s be honest, no longer serves good cake. So the opening of Nero Belgian Waffle Bar is a welcoming site in the west end.

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As the name suggests the shop offers a range of waffles served with the likes of nutella, bananas, strawberries, chocolate… and the list goes on.

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The Waffle Bar itself is extermely small with only a few small tables. However, there is also a take out window on the outside where you can order your waffles and coffee/tea to go.

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We ordered two waffles to share. One served with bananas and nutella and the other strawberries with whipped cream. The presentation was perfect and the waffles themselves were crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside and slightly chewy. Overall, it was the perfect dessert and is a great spot for sweet-tooths like me looking for a midnight sugar fix.

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Nero Belgian Waffle Bar on Urbanspoon

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