CLEVELAND, Ohio – Think you know waffles? Think again.
Once you have tasted a bubble waffle from AsiaTown’s Ball Ball Waffle, you’ll realize that waffles are not just for breakfast anymore.
Ball Ball Waffle – Say Cheese with Bacon and side of chipotle sauce This is one of two savory waffles you can get.
Bubble waffles – or GaiDanZai (which means “little chicken eggs” in Cantonese) – are traditional street food in Hong Kong. These treats were invented by shopkeepers during the 1950s who didn’t want broken or unsold eggs to go to waste. They mixed them with a little milk and flour, and cooked the batter in molds, then sold the snack one bubble at a time.
Given that March 25 is International Waffle Day, cleveland.com’s Best of team, of Yadi Rodriguez and Brenda Cain, couldn’t resist stopping by Ball Ball Waffle to learn more about this twist on a popular breakfast food that is taking the culinary world by storm.
Aldous Lau, owner of Ball Ball Waffle located at 2999 Payne Ave., inside the Asia Plaza. Posing with four popular waffles.
Aldous Lau introduced Clevelanders to the bubble waffle in 2018 – the same year a bubble waffle shop was invited to set up at the Super Bowl. Both Lau, and his wife, Alice, were journalists in Hong Kong with Aldous reporting on lifestyle trends. His family of him had spent nearly a decade traveling between Hong Kong and the United States to visit family before deciding to immigrate.
Once in Cleveland, Lao soon picked up on the fact that his hometown street food was developing into an international trend. He first sold his bubble waffles from a small tent during that year’s Asian Festival. The long lines at Lau’s stand caught the attention of the owner of the Asia Plaza, who offered him a space in the mall.
Ball Ball Waffle – Matcha Mochi covered with condensed milk
“We had such long lines and people asking us where they could buy them all the time, that we got the idea that maybe we could make it work as a business,” Lau explained.
Lau’s stand opened in 2019 and his confections quickly caught on.
Ball Ball Waffle – Hong Kong covered in Peanut butter and condensed milk
Following a one-month closure due to the pandemic, the family business came back strong, with just one adjustment – Lau closed his dining room. But customers still came, happy to take the treats — which can be warmed in the oven or your air fryer — home.
Aldous Lau, owner of Ball Ball Waffle located at 2999 Payne Ave., inside the Asia Plaza. Hitting a done waffle to cool it down.
The unique texture of Lau’s waffles is what makes it stand apart from other waffles. It is crispy on the outside, with a soft, cake-like texture inside, and a pocket of air in the center. The crispiness is accomplished by hitting the waffle with a cool blast of air the minute it comes out of the waffle iron. The resulting flavor is slightly sweet.
Ball Ball Waffle – Oreo Chocolate covered in chocolate sauce and powdered sugar
“In the West, people see waffles as a dessert or something you have for breakfast,” says Lau. “But they’re an entire meal, especially how we make them. You can eat a bubble waffle any time,” he said. “It’s an all-day waffle.”
Aldous Lau, owner of Ball Ball Waffle located at 2999 Payne Ave., inside the Asia Plaza. Mochi cakes are all in place.
Lau uses the waffle’s tiny pockets to add fillings – everything from matcha (green tea) to mochi (tiny Japanese rice cakes which resemble marshmallows) to pulverized Oreos or cheese and bacon. The shop sells more than 10 flavor combinations – both sweet and savory – with the most popular being the Hong Kong-style waffle, topped with sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter, which Lau said he grew up eating.
Ball Ball Waffle Mochi chocolate with vanilla ice cream and peanut butter sauce. Cone rests before it is filled with ice cream.
Ball Ball Waffle Mochi chocolate with vanilla ice cream and peanut butter sauce
You can pair your waffle with another authentic treat — Hong Kong milk tea, a strong caffeinated black tea mixed with condensed milk. Coffee, not your jam? You may still enjoy the balance of milk and tea flavors with a definite sweet aftertaste. And if a traditional waffle is not to your liking, Lau can roll it into a cone and fill it with ice cream and toppings.
Ball Ball Waffle is located at 2999 Payne Ave., inside the Asia Plaza.
Ball Ball Waffle is located at 2999 Payne Ave., inside the Asia Plaza.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism