Up in Smoke: Smoked Buttermilk Waffles at West Coast
After I covered the opening of Taiwanese-style Simple Cafe, offering pastries and bakes in a quiet, minimalist space at West Coast, it appears quite a number of new eateries have come up at that location since.
Meet Up in Smoke, a new concept by the folks at Burnt Cones, which has become quite the go-to place for gelato in the West as of late.
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The latter, which can be found at Sunset Way, often has snaking queues at the door, partly due to the fact you can get your late night ice cream fix till midnight daily, the availability of Burpple deals, and of course, the location attracting many students from institutions in the vicinity.
NeWest Mall though, is slightly more out of the way, but is served by a good number of residents in the area, as evidenced by the fact Up in Smoke quickly fills up on an afternoon on the weekends.
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Here, you’ll find their specialty Smoked Buttermilk Waffle (S$10).
I completely missed it on my camera, being preoccupied with getting the scene on video, but here’s what it looks like when served!
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Smoked in sandalwood and covered in a glass jar, it certainly looks interesting.
Knowing most diners will want to take photos and videos of the moment the jar lifts, the staff patiently wait for you to get your camera ready.
Once the jar is lifted though, the smoke dissipates quickly, revealing the delectable waffle underneath.
Of course, being a gelateria, there are plenty of flavours to choose from— and their bestsellers are the fiore de latte, pistachio, scamorza (smoked cheese), and ube (purple yam).
Deciding to opt for more traditional flavours, we chose the Pistachio and Earl Grey scoops to top our waffle.
Gelato is priced as follows— Single (S$5), Double (S$9), Signature (+S$1) and Supremo (+S$2).
In total, our waffle and gelato combo came out to be S$21, which is pretty pricey, considering you can get the same item at sub-S$20 prices in most ice cream cafes.
However, I will say that this is one of the better waffles I’ve had in recent memory.
Crispy on the outside but delightfully soft and fluffy on the inside, Up in Smoke strikes a really great balance.
The taste of the smoked waffle can be an acquired one, and it’s worth pointing out that even if it’s served on another table, the smoked aroma is pretty strong.
Considering just about every table gets the smoked waffle, that smell can be a little overwhelming to those of us who are a little more sensitive to these things.
As for the gelato, they were not stingy on proportion, and both flavours were wonderful, complementing the waffle perfectly.
I’m not the biggest fan of pistachio usually, but the nutty taste was not too overpowering which I enjoyed.
The earl grey was the perfect counter for the more earthy pistachio, as the tea-based flavour was light and refreshing.
Aside from waffles and gelato, you’ll also find coffee, bakes and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.
All in all, Up in Smoke is definitely worth a try.
It might be a little inconvenient to get to, especially if you’re not driving, but the smoked waffles are interesting enough to warrant a visit.
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WHERE | 1 W COAST DR, #01-67 NEWEST, SINGAPORE 128020
