A review of various Colombian spots, including Crepes & Waffles and Frisby.
We also visited a variety of other restaurants and tried a ton of different foods!
Crepes & Waffles
Visiting Crepes & Waffles was an experience to say the least. They specialize, as the name suggests, in crepes and waffle dishes, both savory and sweet. Our overall experience was mixed.
First, the place was crowded, and it was clear they didn’t appear to have enough servers. With that, the service was incredibly slow throughout the entire experience. From getting seated, placing the order, waiting, and trying to order more food, our server could disappear for dozens of minutes at a time. As a result, we spent well over two hours there just placing a few basic orders.
First, the all-you-can-eat salad was a disgrace. Their salad bar was already nearly empty when we arrived (around dinner time) and was only partially refilled once after an hour or two. It also looked like several people complained to the staff about it before they actually noticed. Unfortunately, throughout dinner and up until close, the salad bar was left nearly empty. Had it been filled, it would have provided a good experience as it had different types of lettuce, fruits, nuts, and other advertised toppings.
Up comes the two crepe entree orders: Sombrero Vueltiao and Pollo Trufa Mexicano. They looked good enough, though it seems much of the glamour was put into their appearances. It wasn’t that they were bad; more, it was simply well-seasoned chicken and beef dishes wrapped in a thin, bland crepe that served as a shell, oozing their filling when you stuck your fork in. The beef reminded us of traditional Colombian carne. The addition of hogao was nice, but there wasn’t much of it, which ultimately left the crepe simple and lacking nuance. It was shaped sort of like a sombrero, cool, I guess. Anyway, similarly, the chicken truffle crepe offered well-seasoned chicken and was notably creamy from the thick sauce, though, again, nothing to really write home about.
Now, after waiting for what seemed like an hour, we flagged down our server for desserts and placed an order of Mini Waffles Frutos del Bosque and a Waffle order of Chocorochelle.
The mini waffles were small, Belgian-style, with a slight crunch on the outside and a reasonably soft interior, soft enough to almost slide your fork through. The flavor of the waffle itself, however, was mostly plain, so what you were left with was its toppings: fruit, blackberry ice cream, and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was a fruity mix and, despite being a dessert, wasn’t overly sweet, leaning more toward refreshing. Overall, we weren’t too crazy about it.
What we were crazy about was the extra chocolately waffle we ordered. This waffle, unlike the minis, was bigger, much thinner, and a little crunchier — not better in this regard, as the minis felt more satisfying. The flavor was where it shone, though. It was a semi-sweet dark chocolate, with all of the flavor coming from the generous helping of chocolate sauce and a backing from the chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. Really, that chocolate sauce made that waffle; it was thick and gave it a very sweet, rich, non-bitter dark chocolate flavor. Coupled with the slightly less dark ice cream and the creamy whipped cream, the entire combination made for an ultimate chocolate experience. Definitely something we would get again!
Overall, Crepes & Waffles is a good enough place if you know what to order. Personally, I would suggest going for their dessert-based dishes over their regular entrees. Unfortunately, their entrees, while tasty, were basic Colombian dishes wrapped in flavorless crepes. Perhaps at the very least, request them in a waffle form if your location has them! On the other hand, their desserts were excellent, and despite us going for their waffle-only versions, the crepes would likely fit right in too. Lastly, Crepes & Waffles needs to improve their service game and at minimum, keep their salad bar topped off!
Update: We went again a few days later for an early afternoon lunch, and the service was equally poor and slow despite not being busy. And the salad bar, while initially full of ingredients, quickly dwindled and was seldom refilled.
Anyway, we tried the Thai Salad alongside making our own. Basically, the standout of the Thai dish was the chicken and the mustard dressing. The chicken is mildly seasoned, though, which reminded me of sliced deli chicken in both its feel and flavor. The dressing is additionally light and provides a refreshing taste. Paired with the other ingredients, it creates a pleasant, well-balanced Thai flavor vibe that isn’t overwhelming or hard-hitting. Further, it’s not at all spicy, which is unfortunate because Thai food generally is. Not to mention, Thai food in general is much more flavorful than this. Anyway, my biggest grievance: there was barely any lettuce! Really, can you actually call this a salad with just two thin lettuce leaves?
For a dessert, we tried the Tartin De Limon. Needless to say, the presentation looks really cool: the layer of strawberries, the scoop of ice cream next to the whipped cream, then topped with the thin, crunchy round pastry, and finally, all couped up in an unnecessarily huge cup!
In terms of flavor, the bulk of it comes from the ice cream and a generous amount of strawberries. And, well, this ice cream is pretty good! It’s clearly lemon and noticeably creamy in both composition and flavor. Basically, it’s as advertised: a lemon cheesecake-tasting ice cream. It’s rich, not sour, and has an especially smooth, creamy, and moderately sugary sweet lemony cheesecake taste. On top of this, literally, is the extra crunchy round wafer pastry that throws you a super-sweet coconut-honey-like taste and complements it all nicely. Then, as we dug to the bottom, there was a decently sized, thin-ish shortbread cookie that also worked well, though it was a little hard, likely because of the cold ice cream.
This was a good dessert and a highlight among the dishes we’ve tried. Echoing my previous thoughts: Crepes & Waffles does its desserts pretty darn well!
Frisby
From Frisby, we ordered the Classico with coleslaw and fries, and a side of honey, Frisby sauce, and Platano Maduro.
Immediately digging in, we noticed the fries were just… fries. They were plain, perhaps lightly salted at best, and were similarly soggy to fast-food fries you’d find elsewhere. They really need more crunch and more salt, to say the least. Now, regarding the other side order, coleslaw, it was decent enough. In comparison to KFC’s, it was less sweet and less creamy. Instead, this has a bit more crunch and feels slightly fresher, likely all due to the lack of mayo. Overall, it’s not just less creamy, it’s also not as punchy as it simply comes across as more plain, but to its benefit, less offensive, especially if you’re prone to sweet or punchy coleslaws or foods.
The main showcase, chicken, was just okay. It was mildly juicy and reasonably meaty, and definitely a bit less greasy than KFC’s. It tastes reasonably fresh, almost as if it were grilled and then quickly fried. In my opinion, Frisby chicken is better than KFC in this regard, though it’s clearly less flavorful and salty because of these differences. And then, with the addition of honey, it was a nice sweet touch to the chicken, but it was just honey on chicken—what’s the big deal? Nothing really to write home about here–overhyped in this regard.
The famous Frisby sauce was disappointing. It is nearly identical to ketchup but has a slightly less punchy tomato and sour note, with the addition of other mild seasonings. It’s pretty good and resembles a “this is a differently-branded yet decent ketchup” flavor. But honestly, it’s so close to ketchup; I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it — this is another thing that wasn’t too crazy or outstanding, just like the honey on chicken.
Lastly, the dessert, Platano Maduro (plantain with bocadillo (guava paste) and melted cheese), which may have been the most disappointing of everything.
It’s much more bland than it lets on. Really, it looks like a mouthwatering, super-thick, greasy soft yuca, with a thick slice of half-melted yellow cheese on top. Yum? Well, not really.
It was super easy to bite through, providing a uniform, thick, soft mouthfeel. Unfortunately, however, I physically didn’t see much of any of the guava, just little splashes of red liquid here and there, yet at the same time, there was still an essence of it in terms of taste, which was interesting. The bulk of this Platano Maduro dish was the plantain and cheese, both of which were bland. In fact, if you blindfolded me, I wouldn’t have even guessed there was even a cheese flavor, let alone cheese itself on it! It blended in too much with the equally soft plantain. Not to mention, the plantain itself needed something else to really bring it out. It sat there, flavorless. To summarize, this side dish was all bark and no bite.
Overall, Frisby tastes like a slightly fresher, less greasy, and less flavorful KFC. In a way, Frisby feels like a slightly healthier KFC, with the trade-off being flavor and overall fast-food fulfillment and enjoyment. Personally, as someone who wants flavor and punchy flavors, especially in fast food, I’d stick with their competitors.
El Punto del Sabor
We ordered several different Colombian-style pizza flavors from this spot. Funnily enough, the pizza box states this is America’s favorite pizza. So, was it? Long story short, probably not.
The dough is just different, especially compared to US pizza. It feels more like a less-grilled flatbread, a little chewier, softer, and denser, too. Surprisingly, it’s not doughy or plain tasting for some reason. Basically, you don’t get that flour-like dough taste. Another surprise: Not really much of any salsa, either; in fact, you can barely see any! Of course, that also means you don’t get the traditional salsa-and-tomato flavor. So, how does it make up for it?
The thin layer of thick cheese and fresh-tasting toppings sticks out more because of all this. In a way, the pizza feels more fulfilling and hearty. On the other hand, I can definitely see people wanting the more traditional, greasier, fluffier, and garlicy American-style pizza. Personally, I don’t think I’d bring this to a party; I’d definitely opt for the American version.
Overall, it’s a good enough pizza, tastes fresh, and is seasoned and salted just enough as not to overwhelm you. I didn’t have a favorite among the four types here. Frankly, these are mostly common toppings even amongst the American version. If anything, the pizzas do benefit from hot sauce to help accentuate the flavors. Lastly, as a personal note, I definitely prefer the bolder, more flavorful, doughier, and loaded American-style pizzas!
Septimo
Septimo isn’t too bad, but it’s definitely way overblown.
It presents itself as a fancy, upscale restaurant where you have to dress up and pay high prices. Despite all of this, the portions are exceptionally small. For example, the salad was simply a few pieces of lettuce with a line of lean grilled chicken. The chicken was good; however, it was nothing crazy. Lean, easy to bite through, cooked perfectly, and lightly seasoned. But it was quite boring for what it’s advertised as, especially considering the dish was supposed to be a salad. Similarly, the beef and steak dishes were the same story: A few well-cooked, lightly seasoned pieces of meat and a side dish. One included truffle fries, but it was just a few small fries with hardly any topping! How can you mess up French fries? Again, not bad, but it could have been so much better!
The best part of everything was the mini burgers: medium-rare, juicy, and just enough sauce to deliver a flavorful burger experience. I also loved how thick they were. In a way, it’s interesting to see an upscale restaurant do fast-food items like burgers so well yet fail on their advertised fancy entrees.
Lastly, the service was fine. Servers were mostly attentive if you sought their attention, and the overall atmosphere was quiet, dimly lit, and clean.
I don’t think I’d come here again, although it was fun to try a supposed upscale Italian restaurant in Colombia. Wait, Italian? What made any of this Italian?!
Food Variety
Chuzo Desgranado (Jota&pe93): So incredibly loaded! This fast food is truly the definition of fast food. It’s loaded with shredded, lightly crunchy potatoes/french fries, thick pieces of meat, shredded cheese, yuca, sauces, and punchy, salty, and deliciously well-seasoned flavors throughout. It’s stupidly addicting and mouthwatering. What makes it even better are the side sauces, especially the sweet, gooey yellow pineapple sauce–yum!
Perro Suizo: Unfortunately, I’m not sure where we got this. Anyway, a thick slice of soft, moist bread houses a Colombian-style hot dog and a bunch of different fillings. The hot dog is especially thick, and combined with all its ingredients and tasty bread, it makes a wonderful combination.
Roscon con Bocadillo: Thick globs of sweet guava paste surround the outside of this bread. It’s fun to eat–you can pull off the “fingers” from the sides, which house this guava, while the inner bread parts are simply plain, thick, semi-soft bread. Unfortunately, this is a downside, as most of this guava bread is, well, bread, with all of the guava on the very outside.
Honestly, I found myself pulling off the bread fingers (the outside nubs) and chowing down on those for the most part because they had the filling. Notably, the bread was a bit hard, kind of like a hard-soft texture at room/cooler temperatures, but for whatever reason, I didn’t mind and actually sort of liked it! Microwaving it made it slightly softer and melted much of the guava, which, in my opinion, was a downside because the large amount of bread quickly soaked up most of the little amount of guava already in it. Either way, I honestly couldn’t find a preference; both ways of eating it had their ups and downsides.
Perro Salvaje Combinado (My Friends Fast Food): This was even better than the Perro Suizo because it was loaded with more varieties of meat! My Friends Fast Food advertises their hotdog dish as “Hot dog sausage, chicken, beef, chorizo, butifarra, 30 cm hot dog bun, queso costeño (salty Colombian coastal cheese), crispy potato sticks, lettuce, assorted sauces.”
Right after biting in, I noticed how loaded it all was with all different types of meats–truly, a meat lover’s sandwich! Sure, it’s a little greasy, but definitely not to an over-the-top or unappetizing level. Going back to that filling: From chicken, to beef and pork, and on top of that (and mixed in), a thick, balanced, pale green looking tartar sauce, shredded cheese, and shredded potato… Just, wow! The result is a balanced, well-seasoned, and exceptionally creamy filling with a sausage hot-dog-forward flavor.
The overall mouthfeel of the sandwich is soft, chunky, thick, and easy to bite through. What’s also awesome is the soft, thick, moist grilled sandwich bun, which adds perfectly to the experience. And did I mention the sweet pineapple sauce on the side?! It’s so gooey and dense, giving this salty fast-food sandwich a super-sweet, pineapple-candy edge! Give me more of that, please! And, give me another sandwich while you’re at it, too!
