A review of Crepes & Waffles and Frisby. From Frisby, we tried their Classico meal, including fries, coleslaw, Frisby sauce, and honey, as well as a platano maduro. Crepes & Waffles served us a make-your-own salad, Crepe orders of Sombrero Vueltiao and Pollo y Queso, and for dessert, a Mini Waffles order of Frutos del Bosque and a Waffle order of Chocorochelle.
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 crepe order: Sombrero Vueltiao and Pollo y Queso. 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 and cheese crepe provided a well-seasoned chicken flavor, 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!
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.
