Market Place Waffle Bar and Cafe, Market Street, Ipoh

MarketPlace Waffle Bar and Cafe is occupying the corner lot of Market Street amongst many other cafes around. Being located at the tourist zone in Ipoh Old Town area, made famous from wall murals, handicraft streets, heritage trails and not to mentioned renowned hawker food (at least in the eyes of tourists), numerous cafes has sprung to life, occupying the old shop lots in which most added a hipster touch to it. Come on a normal weekend, you will notice most of the customers are Gen-Y-ers and also Millenials (made me pause for a second wondering how could the youngsters can keep sustaining the businesses with such meager fresh graduates payscale in Ipoh)

They have a few options of pasta for diners who opined that it is impossible for waffles could be innovated into a hearty meal. For our pick, we went for Aglio Olio with smoked duck (RM19). The portion is just right for just one diner, although I reckon big eaters would find the portion to be insufficient. Taste-wise, the aglio olio was just mediocre and only portrayed the mild-fiery side from the chilli flakes but was lacking the punch from missing elements such as parsley, sauteed garlic and olive oil. I will strongly advise all to skip the pasta and just focus on their forte, which are the waffles and pancakes.

And here comes their forte: THE WAFFLES! There is a good balance between savoury and sweet waffle creations. Most of the savoury ones make hearty breakfast/brunch meals. There is one which has a whole fried chicken thigh served on top of it while another one is a twist from American breakfast – with sautéed bacons, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes. Most of the hearty ones will cost you around RM20, or more.

Waffles with Bacon and Maple Syrup is a simple entrée version priced at RM12, which comes with substantial portion of perfectly pan-fried streaky bacon, presented into a flower petal arrangement. Taste the waffle on its own, then have another bite with the bacon to see how well could bacon complement it. Rinse your mouth and try another bite with the maple syrup for the sweet version. This item may look simple but it was executed just right!

When you think of pancakes, I guess most of you will not have this picture in your mind! Dusted with icing sugar, this is a serving of 2 pieces of mini pancakes (RM9) which comes with a choice of imported jam from Austria, butter and a dollop of whipped cream. Decadently light and well aerated, it bears resemblance with souffle, with a characteristic "eggy" aroma (it may be too strong to some people).

This is the exterior view of the shop. Parking can be a hassle almost everyday, especially from morning up until late afternoon. After 4pm on weekends, it will be "slightly" better. They operate until 6pm on weekdays and 9pm on Fri, Sat and Sundays. I might return to try their Sweet Pancakes, when I suddenly have the urge to splurge (desserts/main course RM15-25, while drinks in the range of RM6-12)