Tirol Chocolate – Belgian Waffle Manneken

It’s worth reminding that I am almost always on the side of waffles in the great debate of waffles vs. pancakes. There’s few arguments that can sway me otherwise. Sure you get more pancakes than waffles when stacked against each other, but I’ve always been more about quality over quantity. Plus, the shape of the waffle lends itself so well to holding sauces, butter etc. I mean, honestly when was the last time you heard of people pairing chicken and pancakes?

As usual, I am “seasonably” late, which is fitting in an ironic sense, given that today is another seasonal collaboration flavour. Today we are tackling the Manneken company, a brand that has been serving up Belgian style waffles to the Osaka region since the mid 80s.

They smell kind of caramel like, but have a thick smell to them, if that makes sense. Like a syrup waffle or something. The taste is fairly mild, kind of like eating a plain Belgian waffle I guess. There are little crunchy bits in the filling that are a bit sweeter, so it’s not just a bland chocolate. All in all it tastes like you’d imagine a typical Belgian waffle, soft and taste a little cakey.

The texture is fairly soft throughout, the chocolate is typical, but the inside has a soft, waffle like consistency. It kind of makes the whole thing taste a bit cakey. To shake things up and keep it from just being a somewhat moist mess, there’s tiny bits of what I imagine are hardened sugar or syrup bits to give it a bit of crunch. It’s like they were hedging their bets and trying to appeal to both types of waffle lovers. The unfortunate truth though, is that by doing so it’s kind of in this weird in between where I don’t think it would appeal too much to either one. The classic jack of all trades, master of none situation. I’m still a bit on the fence about this chocolate, not unlike the texture itself.

These are interesting, no doubt – I’m not sure I would get these again though. This is one of those flavours that makes me a bit sad because I come to the realization I’m not eating the actual thing. If you like chocolates with a bit more of a cakey filling, this might be for you. If you prefer something crispy or crunchy though, this may not be for you.