The wonderful world of waffles

THONGLOR, THE foodie’s Garden of Eden, now has a sweet new secret to share and it’s a must-discover for anyone with a penchant for pancakes. Offering a wide selection of hot waffles topped with fresh fruit, home-made sauce and ice cream, the recently launched Jona Waffle Cafe is the place to go for delectable desserts.

Jona is owned by Songpon Wongpaisan, the man behind the successful Willy’s Chocolate Dessert Cafe at The Circle Ratchaphruek four years back. A graduate in product design from Purdue University in the US, he trained at Le Cordon Bleu London in 2005. On return to Thailand, he worked in a French restaurant in Bangkok and followed up with a stint at ice cream chain Swensen, where he was responsible for creating special sundaes.

“I was cooking everyday while studying in the US. It was a happy time and I decided to learn more,” Songpon says. 

“Willy’s Chocolate Dessert served all kinds of desserts made from chocolate and while the feedback was excellent, I decided to close after the lease expired. I looked around for a better location downtown and found this space.” 

That space is on the second floor of new community mall The Commons and Songpon has given it a smart look with curvy wood tables and chairs with vibrant cushions, dome-shaped glass lanterns and white walls. There’s room for 30 dessert lovers. 

To encourage customers to create their own sweets, Songpon offers three kinds of light waffles on his “Do It Yourself” menu. One is his signature waffle fermented with yeast overnight to give it a puffy texture which is crispy outside and tender inside. The other two are a chocolate waffle with a layered and soft texture like a sponge cake and a green tea waffle infused with matcha. Each costs Bt120. 

Fresh fruits toppings include banana, green apple, kiwi, strawberry and blueberry, priced from Bt20 to Bt50 while the sauces are made from berries, chocolate, milk caramel, apple cider, yoghurt honey, dark syrup and maple syrup and cost from Bt40 to Bt60. 

Also on offer is smooth ice cream in vanilla, strawberry, Belgian chocolate, green tea and cookie and cream flavours for Bt55 a scoop. 

For those whose creative juices are not flowing, Songpon recommends Never Too Much (Bt220), a full-flavoured chocolate waffle with bananas cooked in a milky caramel sauce, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream. 

“I use maple syrup from Canada and make all my desserts with love. They are light and not too sweet. For example, I simmer the apple cider until it caramelises and my dark syrup is made from brown sugar,” Songpon says. 

“I also recommend my Blue Angel, a chocolate waffle topped with blue berry and cream cheese that takes its inspiration from blueberry cheese pie.”

Another must-try is Orange Suzette (Bt220), an original waffle served with fresh orange, refreshing orange butter sauce and Belgian chocolate ice cream. Equally delicious is the chewy French Toast (Bt220) paired with vanilla bean ice cream, fresh strawberries and warm chocolate sauce. 

“I use raisin bread to make the French Toast and bake it in the waffle machine to create a different texture,” Songpon says. 

“I’m also planning to offer new brunch menus soon.” 

The drinks list includes Mango Passion Soda and Wild Berry Soda (each Bt120), a range of fruit teas, sangria and coffee. Prices range from Bt80 to Bt195. 

 

 

SWEET TREATS

Jona Waffle is on the second floor of The Commons community mall on Thonglor Soi 17. It’s open daily from noon to 10pm. Check out the “JonaWaffle” page on Facebook.