OK, Britney Spears does NOT work at Scandilicious. But when we went on Saturday to the family-owned-and-operated Scandilicious, there was this friendly and helpful server behind the counter (Karlie?) who I swear was the spitting image of Britney Spears (well, more like Britney 10 years ago).Anyway... About the restaurant...
It has a narrow store-front that might look more like just a take-out window. Inside, past the long walk past the service counter on one side and self-serve water / sugar / napkins on the other, are a measly 16 or so seats, including four barstools around two tall tables. Turnover for duos dropping in for a bite was quite quick, though. And despite the tight space, they didn't try to maximize it with tight spacing, as some places are often tempted to do. It clean and bright and cheery inside.
Scandilicious boasts the best waffles in Vancouver, and their freshness does definitely make them a contender. They also have gluten free waffles in vegan and non-vegan varieties.
You may have picked up their brochure-menu, in which case you should know that the for-kids "Moo-ink", the spicy vegetarian chili "Some Good Karma", and the pickled herring "Dan-Rik" are off the regular menu. The ingredients, however, are still available for assembling or customizing your waffles -- yes, even pickled herring.
There are sample demonstration-model waffles in the counter, which may lead you to think that your waffle order is going to be enormous. Sadly, this is not so, because you only get HALF the waffle. It appears that they have a four-quadrants waffle iron, and you only get two quadrants, which translates into essentially a rectangular open-faced sandwich.
They do plate their house-combo waffles beautifully, and it's best to eat it fresh while the waffle beneath still retains its crispy crust.
Den Beste Vaffle ($9) cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onions, capers, home-made lemon dill sauce; additional toppings: pickled herring (+$1.50), one poached egg (+$1.50)
- I was disappointed by the disappearance of the Dan-Rik, which seemed the most Scandinavian to me, and this was suggested to me as an interesting waffle incorporating the herring.
- It turned out to be rather decent (though I should say I'm not put off by picked herring), but in retrospect I think it didn't need the cream cheese or smoked salmon, as those flavours got lost under everything else, especially that pickled herring.
- The regular Den Beste (and their other combo waffles) don't look that loaded, but remember the waffle underneath and you'll realize you've got a meal there. If you want more "meat" with your carbs, then you may have to go with extra toppings (or just get a regular burger with a fat patty).
- Value for money is pretty decent for what you get -- one tasty waffle plus an interesting meal. The regular Den Beste at $9 with no sides is priced at approximately the same as a burger (not a McDonalds sized slightly-small burger, but a regulation sized restaurant burger) and approximately as filling.
Valhalla ($7.50) home-made maple bacon jam, back bacon, bacon bits and maple syrup
- The draw is basically bacon-everything.
- I thought this a bit plain and on the boring side, but maybe it was because I only got a bite to sample from the to-share waffle generously purchased by one of our diners and I didn't get a good taste of the bacon jam -- a concoction I'd only ever had once, at the now-closed Fray.
For dessert to share, I asked for the most interesting option, and the owner brought out four samples of their made-in-house spreads. We opted for the Kokos Krem (coconut cream) and I just asked them to put together a dessert that went well with it. They came back with Kokos Krem, strawberries, white chocolate, and a dusting of sugar (another picture). After tax it was $6.83.
I thought this could have used a stronger contribution from the white chocolate, but otherwise it was quite decent. Portion size for price was also good. At around $6, you can generally expect a really decent slice of cake or pie, so this seemed good value for money.
Staff were friendly and helpful, and made an effort to be patient despite the place generally being continually busy. They are slow Mondays and I was told they would shortly go with the decision to close on Mondays and take that opportunity to do whatever catch-up needs to be done.
House spreads (including bacon jam) are available for purchase, but sales are brisk so you are advised to order ahead to avoid disappointment.
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