Midtown Lunch

John is having his breakfast AND his lunch today at Bonte.

When my brother had a work assignment for a few months in Belgium, I did not take the opportunity to go visit him. After my brother returned and began extolling the virtues of waffles from the Belgian city of Liège, I began to regret passing up the chance to experience this Belgian delicacy firsthand.

Fortunately, Bonté Wafflerie and Café offers the Liège-style waffle in town with two locations in Center City (130 South 17th Street and 922 Walnut Street). Bonté is open from breakfast until 6 p.m., serving as a coffeehouse in the morning and sandwich/salad/soup the rest of the day. I finally sampled the waffle while grabbing lunch, and I’m not sure why I waited so long to try it.

Bonté has about seven different sandwich options, served on bread such as a baguette or brioche. The sandwiches are made at the beginning of the day, so the selections may be depleted by the end. I selected the Parisian ($6.99), which includes French ham, New York cheddar cheese, a sliced tomato and Romaine hearts, all on a baguette. As the sandwich was sitting in Bonté’s display case for a few hours, I was concerned the baguette would be too hard and crusty by the time I ate it. Instead, I was pleased to find my fears were unfounded, and the bread was more than chewy enough. What I should have done, though, was take advantage of the option to heat up the sandwich in a Panini Press to help melt the cheese. The sandwich also comes with a side of mustard, which you can spread for an extra spicy kick to the sandwich.

The specialty at Bonté, of course, is the Liège-style sugar waffles. This waffle is quite a bit different than what we traditionally think of as a waffle. For one, the Liège waffle is not intended to be just limited to breakfast; Belgians eat waffles for breakfast, a snack or dessert. Also, the waffle comes in a non-standard shape and tends to be much sweeter. Bonté’s waffle ($2.75) is made to order, and you can pick a “mix in” (such as white or dark chocolate) to combine with the waffle mixture. I added in dark chocolate as a mix in, and the result was a very sweet, chocolate-flavored waffle. Though the exterior of the waffle is served quite hot, the inside of the waffle retains its moisture and is not dry. Also, the caramelized sugar on the outside of the waffle adds to the sweet and wonderful taste.

The dark chocolate filling isn’t enough chocolate for you? You can also add a syrup, such as chocolate syrup, on top. In some ways, it’s overkill to have that much chocolate on both the inside and on top of the waffle. Then again, I don’t think you can ever have enough chocolate. You can even just dip your waffle in the syrup, as it comes in a side container.

Bonté definitely makes a good stop for a quick lunch. And as it turns out, a Liège-style waffle hits the spot at any time of the day.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Use the sandwich or salad as an excuse to eat a sweet waffle
• Waffles are good for breakfast or as a snack or dessert

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Sandwiches are premade, so they run out

Bonté, 130 South 17th Street, 215-557-8510