space & place: 1 minute walk from 홍대 on 와우산길.
span: Noon-roughly 10:00 pm (later if you are in with Didi)
costs: A single gauffres goes for ₩1,200; premium creations can push ₩9,000
Before you stop reading because you are sick of all the sickeningly sweet, undercooked waffles you can purchase on any street corner, I assure you this is not one of those places. If you stop in to Gauffres you are in for something special. Most importantly you are going to get two owners who
are extremely dedicated to making the highest quality Belgian waffles this side of the lowlands. To provide a bit of background Didi is from the Belgium/French boarder and has been living in Seoul for 5 years. After being tortured with sub-par immitations of one of his country's great cultural exports he could stand no more. With his wife he decided the time had come to open his own rendition of waffle store.Gauffres sits tucked in between the storefronts of 와우산길 and is an easy hop from the main gates of the university. The are right in front of Shoestring Travel so if you are waiting for someone to print you a ticket to
Turkmenistan this is a perfect way to spend it. The place is quite cozy with merely a bank of high chairs in front of a wooden bar overlooking the kitchen. There is also a window that opens onto the street for an easy grab and go. While the place has a sparse feel and definitely goes for a minimal look it belies some coziness as well.The menu is printed on the wall and is divided between Bruxelles and Liege style waffles. If you want to get schooled in the differences ask Didi because he will be happy to give you the run-down on the differences. If you want the short version; Bruxelles style are a little lighter in consistency, several cm. thinner, Liege style are thicker, more dense and have nib sugar added toward the end of the process which results in a partial caramelization resulting in a chewier and sweeter creation. Almost all his waffles are served with whipping cream and delicious vanila ice-cream. From there you can get a waffled dressed in simple fruits, maple syrup (real fucking maple syrup!) fresh strawberries and chocalate. If you are in a hurry or want a little snack to go with the good espresso they brew, try a gauffres waffle which is a tiny fluffy waffle that they sell single or in packs of 5. Eaten warm or cold is fine. They just got their liquor license as well so grab a Hoegaarden if it is late enough in the date or you need something to chase away the hang-over.
Didi and his wife are really welcoming and are dedicated to making a superior product. It is recommended not to go for anything but the gauffres till about 1 pm as they really do take their time getting things right in the morning.
I'D GO THERE: maybe once a week. More than that and getting fat becomes a serious concern
GOOD PLACE TO: indulge your sweet tooth, talk to some really laid back people, learning how to use oversized utensils, hearing French spoken
NOT SO GOOD FOR: getting things that aren't waffles, comfortable seating
