donut wars

Even if you're not Bart Simpsons, I think you should give a serious thought about doughnuts. there's the classic donut without any topping, jam donuts (there's one very popular in Victoria Market, Melbourne), any shape any flavour. it is normally a sweet piece of dough or batter that is deep-fried - there's even mini-machines that does the frying for you (all you need to do is mix the batter.. ANU Campus Bakery does this..shhh)

ANYWAY, the purpose of this post really is to introduce to you TWO alternatives to Krispy Kreme, which i strongly believe is OVERRATED. People go nuts about krispy kreme, but i think there's really nothing special about it.. just sugar glaze over doughnut made using some premix..possibly the same ones you can get off supermarket shelves.

Since my arrival back in Malaysia, the makansutra heaven, I found that there is a this new donut and coffee joint called J.Co. I actually bummed into one of its two(?) stores in KL while walking around the newly opened Pavillion in Jalan Bukit Bintang ( the mall sits on the former site of the then Bukit Bintang Girls' School, more affectionately known as BBGS). anyway, being the foodie that I am, the first place that I went to in the mall is none other than the floor where all the food is located. They've made it into a really really nice foodcourt, with cheap and expensive restaurants, local and foreign fare all situated next to each other. Surprisingly there are a lot of bakeries there (Tunku Mahathir's bakery is in Pavillion too). It was while touring this really nice food 'centre' that I saw this particular shop with so many people queueing up for the food. In fact, it was actually the ONLY shop there that attracted such a large concentration of people in one place. SO, my curious stomach led me to this 'magnificent' donut parlour - J.Co.

I waited 30 minutes just to get my dozen donuts, of which i requested for a piece from each flavour. I got one of everything available that day but I think there's still a few flavours missing. I saw how them donuts are made while I was patiently waiting in the queue, and honestly, I don't think there is really anything special to it. I feel that a lot of customers are driven by the hype and craze of a potentially new trend-setter, or they are just naturally attracted to them due to a sweet tooth. Seriously, after trying the donuts myself, i feel that all those different flavours are just different mixtures of sugar icing - nothing so special that is worth 30 minutes of my time queueing up. *majorly disappointed* The only ones that caught my attention was the almond one(top row, 2nd from right, donut picture), the cheese flavoured one (top row, 1st from left) and the tiramisu, (bottom row, 2nd from right; sadly it turned out to be way below expectations.) The doughnut base ain't anything fantastic either, tastes just like the standard donut pre-mix.

Now, moving on to Dunkin' Donuts. Tried it a few days after having those donuts from J.Co, and the verdict is pretty obvious. Dunkin's still the best in my opinion. They now serve these 'whirl' (i think i got the name right) donuts which uses a different batter , and the extra 'twisting' means larger surface area and more crispy skin. it is a bit dry i think,not worth paying the extra bucks for it.



HOWEVER, you really have to try dunkin donut's choc based donuts.. such as coconut and butternut flavour ( the top-right and top-centre ones respectively). THEY ARE THE BEST. the jam-filled donuts sold here are nice too, but i was buying an offer package which allowed me to choose only 3 normal donuts and 3 of those whirls. ( the 3rd donut, bottom right, is a cinnamon flavoured one. also another bomb...just about the right amount of cinnamon). The donuts have just about the right texture, and the flavours are generally great ( i normally avoid flavours that have weird toppings on it, they're ok but not fantastic). Dunkin donuts also sells mini jam-filled donuts which make a fantastic snack anytime of the day.

I guess the winner here is pretty obvious. Say NO to krispy kreme and J.Co. seriously, even the donuts at my workplace (ANU campus bakery) taste better. and cheaper too. choose less sugar, more flavour.