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Waffletown has officially reopened its doors on May 31, just over a year after they closed their iconic Balmoral Plaza outlet after 21 years.

Déjà vu

The beloved fast food joint now calls NEWest, a shopping mall in the vicinity of Clementi, its new home.

Located on the first floor, we were immediately hit with a sense of déjà vu after stepping into the outlet.

Waffletown's owner Eugene Sung -- who was also the owner of the Balmoral Plaza outlet -- told Mothership that the uncanny resemblance is intentional on his part, as the interior has been recreated to look like their former stores.

The eatery's original old-school orange swivel chairs and booth seats from Bukit Timah Plaza and the framed wall collage from Balmoral Plaza have been preserved and brought over. The wood lining the lower half of the eatery's walls is also a nod to Balmoral Plaza's outlet, which had the same interior design.

The main differences are the digital menus mounted above the counter, and that the new outlet is half the size of its predecessor.

New outlet, same old recipes

Little else has changed at the new Waffletown outlet.

According to Sung, the menu has remained largely untouched and the eatery still uses the same old recipes and methods to prepare its simple and homey food.

This includes their beloved Belgium waffles, which can be served savoury, sweet or a combination of both through options like plain (S$3.20), à la mode (S$7.20) -- which comes with one scoop of ice cream and one fruit topping -- and fried chicken and waffle (S$7.20).

Sung mentioned that his chicken supplier has changed and this has resulted in his fried chicken yielding a crispier skin.

Is their food still good?

Since it was the big reopening, we would be remiss if we didn't order their famous Clucky Lucky Fried Chicken and Belgium waffle.

Despite having had lunch before visiting, we had no trouble demolishing both items, and are glad to report that the wafer-thin chicken skin was well seasoned and indeed very crispy.

The piece of golden-brown chicken was served hot, with its juicy and tender meat cooked to perfection.

The plain waffle, which came with a serving of cold butter and maple syrup, had a faint vanilla aroma and had just the right amount of sweetness.

It was also crisp on the outside, but fluffy on the inside.

Verdict: 9/10. This sweet and savoury pairing might not be for everyone, but for me, it worked.

Teething problems

If you're planning to head down for a taste of nostalgia, do note that Waffletown's menu will be limited and its opening hours may be adjusted while it deals with manpower constraints in its opening phase.

For example, the black pepper chicken chop (S$9.80) was sadly unavailable during our visit.

This is because the dish requires more effort to prepare as the chicken is filleted and prepared in house.

In a May 29 Facebook post, the eatery wrote: "We seek your kind understanding while we try our best to provide the highest level of service possible during this initial period."

With regard to Malaysia's halt in chicken exports, which is likely to impact F&B businesses which use fresh chickens, Sung admitted that he is unsure how his business will be affected, and said he is still waiting to hear from his suppliers.

Waffletown at NEWest

Address: 1 West Coast Drive #01-106  Singapore 128020

Opening hours: 5pm to 9pm daily except Monday until further notice

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Top images by Fiona Tan.