One of the latest food trends to hit London is the Bubblewrap - egg waffles by way of Hong Kong. And the queue at Bubblewrap in Chinatown can be anywhere between 45 minutes to 1.5 hour’s long.
I was a bit “lucky”, in the sense that I went there yesterday at 3pm when the temperatures were soaring in the mid-30s and road surfaces were melting. The guy in front of me in the queue just muttered, “I give up, it’s TOO HOT!” and walked away. I asked the two women in front of him how long they’ve been in the queue (we’re quite near the entrance), “5 minutes!”, they chirped merrily - scarcely believing their luck.
Anyhow, bubblewraps here are a (much) fancier version of the egg waffles I’d had in HK and Singapore since the early-80s - and we normally don’t find these downtown, but in the neighbourhood bakeries. The ones we get back then do not have additions of gelato, cream, fresh fruits, chocolate sauce drizzle, etc. But one pays only about S$1 (£0.57) for a piece in Singapore. The waffles are usually served plain. These new-fangled London ones are carefully folded into a large cone before being filled with all manners of delicious stuff.
My Bubblewrap - with whipped cream (no gelato), fresh raspberries, sliced strawberries and Nutella drizzle. It costs a hefty £5.99, which is about 10 times what its plain cousin in Singapore costs.
Is it good? Yes, it’s pretty good, in fact. Will I queue 45 minutes for it? Heck, no!
Address
Bubblewrap
24 Wardour Street
Chinatown London, W1D 6QJ
Opening hours: 12.30pm-8.30pm
