by Lori Baltazar
Fleur de Lys (fleur-deh-LEES) was my go-to dessert place when I was living in Quezon City (QC). Being so near it made me feel prepared to take on any sugar craving that might creep up on me in the middle of the night or day, since it opens early and closes late. Now that I don’t live in QC anymore, I miss Fleur de Lys terribly, so I make it a point to drop by whenever I’m in the area, that is if I don’t make it the excuse to drive all the way to QC. My favorites include the strawberry pie, and now their waffles.
cross-section of a yeast-raised waffle
Making their debut just last May, the waffles offered at Fleur de Lys are unlike anything that can be found locally. Owner and pastry chef, Jackie Ang-Po, has outdone herself making a waffle that’s unique unto itself. For one, it’s yeast-raised instead of relying on the common leaveners like baking powder and/or baking soda. There are sweet and savory waffles. In addition, her waffles are sweetened with crystal sugar which are roughly four times larger than regular granulated sugar. (Crystal sugar is also called sugar crystals, decorating or coarse sugar.) No, it doesn’t make it that much sweeter and the occasional grittiness against the teeth is beguiling.
I will make any excuse I can to have breakfast even at the late hour of 11 in the morning (I’m usually up by 6 am), so I barely glance at the savory waffles before zeroing in on their sweeter counterparts. If you’re not like me, I’ll pique your curiosity by telling you that the savory waffles are herbed and come with either sunny side up or scrambled eggs. Jackie recommends the smoked Italian sausage waffle (P160) and the sweet chorizo hamonado (P150). The meats aren’t mixed into the waffle but serve as toppings or tasty sides.
mangoes, cream, and caramel sauce
On to the sweet waffles aptly called “Waffle Wonders” on the menu, my morning is looking brighter already. There’s a choice of either vanilla or chocolate waffles, but when it comes to waffles, there’s no waffling around with me. I always order the banana-peanut butter combo (P100 – see cover photo), and at Fleur de Lys it even comes with a dollop of cream. Yippee! There’s the option to swap the cream for vanilla ice cream which is only an extra P30. But today I feel like easing into my indulgence instead of rushing into a full-on, head-on sugar collision. Jackie urges me to also try the waffles with mangoes, cream, and caramel sauce (P125). I’m an obedient eater and do as I’m told.
A few words of waffle wisdom: First, make sure that your waffles come to you hot. Your experience is affected if not. At Fleur de Lys, the waffles are yeast-raised, so they possess a different texture from what people might be used to. In Jackie’s words, her waffles are “…crispy outside, and somewhat makunat (bite-y) inside.” A taste yields a crumb with resistance and a somewhat spongy bite. It doesn’t come away as lightly as a baking powder waffle would and the almost imperceptible yeasty flavor indicates that this is a waffle that’s worthy of savoring. No matter what time of night or day.
Fleur de Lys
F.L.P Bldg.
305 Tomas Morato Ave., Q.C., beside Popular Bookstore
372-0631
Other waffle posts:
Waffles at M Cafe
Waffles at Country Waffles
Waffles at Heaven ”˜n Eggs
It’s been a while since Hazel and I have been to Fleur de Lys; I think our last visit was before Caitlin was born, so the waffles weren’t on the menu.
Having seen them, though, now I want some.
I’ve been having to go to QC lately, and have been to Fleur de Lys three times already! It always takes me forever to decide which of their over two dozen pastries to try. I’ve found it to be hit-or-miss, but with that many desserts on the menu, I can’t expect to like every item. Unfortunately, I’ve never been lucky enough to chance upon the Strawberry Pie.
I had the savory waffle with mozzarella-quezo de bola omelet last time, and although there was way too much butter (for a butter fan like me, that’s saying A LOT), I enjoyed it and would order it again. Next time I’ll try the sweet ones. I might choose butter over whipped cream, though. Growing up on Pancake House waffles, I still prefer them that way.
where is Fleur de Lys? i’ve only just moved to the north (north of alabang anyway) and would love to discover some late-night places to food trip 🙂
i love waffles, you know!?
Lori, if you want to try waffles that will knock your socks off (literally), check out Spiral at Hotel Philippine Plaza. I don’t know if they offer the same waffles in the ala carte menu but the ones featured in the breakfast AND also the lunch buffet are something to write home about. They make it for you with your choice of toppings when you order it. The rest of the buffet items are, on average, very good. The Chinese station has a very feisty Chinese chef expediting the dimsum line formed by eager and hungry customers. Tip for people who like their alcohol (the boozers): I don’t know if they have it weekly but when I had Sunday lunch there, champagne was being served as part of the buffet. Cheers!
the waffles with mangoes look out of this world!
I love waffles! I have been searching for yeast leavened ones like the ones i’ve tried at the nielsen’s seafood buffet at manila penn…so far they have been the best waffles i’ve had. crunchy outside and chewy inside–i love it with ice cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips and almond slivers =) hahaha unforgettable still! i remember we even begged the chef manning the waffle station to cook us another helping when they were about to close up the buffet—he told me “ma’am madali lang po gumawa nyan..flour, eggs, butter at yeast…” so then i knew the difference was that it was YEAST raised! hahaha yummmmmmy…
I’ve only been there once…out of curiosity. I tried their cheesecake which was much lighter in texture, but not lacking in taste unlike its gelatin relatives sold in some “gourmet cheesecakes” place. (cough, cough)
As much as I am a cheesecake fan, did I ever mention my love for waffles? Eeek! Your post is convincing enough to make me visit Fleur de Lys for the waffles! The description of the texture automatically triggered my sweeth cravings!
I hope they have banana and caramel…heehee. A personal favorite.
Gawd, I LOOOVE fleur de Lys– used to take home their strawberry pie too! (katrina– you couldnt chance upon it bec i probably bought it before you did haha).
And Lori, i have been doing resto reviews but of course nothing as extensive as yours 😀
by the way ive been on a sugar binge for a month now, hahaha 😀 keep those desserts comin!
xo
P.S. now that we talked waffles, can we talk more scones? 😀
must.try.these.waffles!
Is it me or do those mango slices have the color of leche flan? Great pics.
I too am a Fleur de Leys regular (about 2-3 times a week) simply because I am sooo addicted to their Next Best Things and banana waffles! Love everything on the menu! Their 3-Cheese vegetarian sandwich is fantastic too.