The Waffle Factory

The Waffle Factory is situated in Strasbourg, specifically in the Rivetoile Shopping Mall, just outside the city centre.

If I was going to talk to you all about a waffle shop in Benidorm yesterday, then today I bring you something similar from Strasbourg, albeit somewhat more sophisticated.

Here, you can purchase and enjoy: LunchWAF, Liege waffles, Waffines, ice creams, and milkshakes.

I am first going to talk to you about my favourite product, the Liege waffles, which are just delicious. Although the dough has to have been frozen at one point, they don't just heat it up, but instead make it into a waffle shape and actually cook it for you right there and then when you order it. Yes, it's true that they don't always taste perfect or the same every time... I guess that this just depends on the dough and how long it is left to cook for in the machine.

In terms of flavours, you can order Liege waffles in the following ways:

• plain (€2. 40)
• with Liege syrup (€2. 70)
• with dark chocolate or Chantilly cream (€2. 90)
• with apple compote (€3. 00)
• with chestnut cream (€3. 00)
• with Nutella (€3. 20)
• with a scoop of ice cream (€3. 60)

As you can see, there is a lot of variety and several options for you to choose from - all of which have to be extremely tasty. I have tried the dark chocolate one and the Nutella one, and I honestly think I preferred the waffle with dark chocolate, as the Nutella ends up being too sweet, but it is still good.

The waffines are like regular waffles, but they are round in shape and have an added ingredient inside the dough. I had never seen one of these before, but I tried it and it is really good, although I have to say that I still prefer "normal" waffles. Like with the Liege waffles, you can add the exact same ingredients, except for Chantilly cream and a scoop of ice cream. In terms of prices, they are quite similar, although the Liege syrup costs €2. 50 and the apple compote, €2. 90.

The LunchWAF are the exact same as waffines, but rather than being a sweet iten, savoury ingredients are placed inside the waffles and are cooked with fine Provençal herbs. They are great to eat for lunch or dinner, given their size, although I have to say that I still prefer the Liege waffles, as I struggle to comprehend the idea of eating a waffle that doesn't have chocolate on top. However, for those of you who prefer savoury food, it's not at all bad.

You can order the follow varieties of LunchWAFs:

• Croc-Waf - ham, melted Emmental cheese and Gouda (€4. 20)
• Campagnarde - bacon, tomato, mozzarella and basil (€4. 70)
• Orientale - chicken, tomato, curry and Emmental cheese (€4. 90)
• Norvegienne - smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill (€4. 90)
• Bergère - chicken, goat's cheese and tarragon
• 3 fromages (3 cheeses) - goat's cheese, Emmental and Mimolette (€4. 90)
• Pecheur
• Reine - ham, mushroom and mozzarella (€5. 00)

Personally, the ones that I like the most are the Croc-Waf and the Campagarde, although, I must admit that I haven't tried all of them yet.

With regards to the milkshakes, you can either order a "normal" one (costing €4. 70), or a Nutella one (for €5. 20). The Nutella milkshake is just something else - let's just say that, for those of you who love this chocolatey concoction, this is the drink for you.

You can buy either one, two or three scoops of ice cream - the price of which will depend on the number you choose. Personally, I have never tried them, as I usually go elsewhere to buy an ice cream, but I do have to admit that they look good.

They also sell drinks, amongst which you can choose from: water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks, and smoothies.

There are some combinations or promotions that you can choose, which will make it cheaper for you if you want to purchase more than one product:

• Liege waffles and a coffee: €3. 50
• LunchWAF and a drink: €5. 90
• LunchWAF and Liege waffle: €6. 20
• LunchWAF, Liege waffle and a drink: €7. 70

The service offered is pretty standard and they normally serve you quickly. You can see how they prepare your food, and you can pay for it whilst you are waiting for it to be ready. If you want to sit and enjoy your waffle rather than walk around the mall with it (which is still an option, of course), you can sit at one of the tables in front of the store. There are also bins there for you to throw any rubbish into, and you can leave your tray on the upper part ready for a staff member to come and collect it.

To get to this store, you first have to make your way to Rivetoile Shopping Mall before heading down to the lower ground floor (-1). The best way to get to Rivetoile is by catching the tram and alighting in the stop called "Winston Churchill", served by lines C and E. You could equally cycle there, as it's easily the best mode of transport in Strasbourg given the sheer number of dedicated bicycle lanes that are available for you to use.

If you are currently in another city in France and you fancy trying one of these magnificent waffles, it's important to note that there are other franchises: Arceleil, Argenteuil, Arras, Aubervilliers, Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont Ferrand, Créteil, Evry, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Grenoble, Le Harre, Levallois-Perret, Lieusant, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Massy, Metz, Montpellier, Nantes, Noisy-le-Grand, Paris, Rennes, Roissy, Rosny-sous-Bous, Thionville, Tours, Valenciennes, Vélizy, Ville du Bois, and Villeneuve-le-Garenne. There are also franchises operating in the following cities in Belgium: Anvers, Brussels, Louvain-la-Nueve, and Marquain.