Doughnut delights with no greasy taste
A cake box 1 at Doughnut Plant New York. By Kim Jin-ho
I’ve had more girlfriends who fuss over a hot Japanese model for Dunkin Donuts than their latest blueberry glaze.
I was sure that doughnut shops in Seoul are for men who are too shy to take their girlfriends to McDonald’s to kill time over cheap coffee before going to see a movie.
Krispy Kreme offered some hope when it opened. People seemed to like the taste of their sickeningly sweet products, enriched with sugarcane and buttermilk. But the place later turned into a posh version of Dunkins, giving out free samples of doughnuts to visitors.
So when I walked by an ad in Myeongdong saying “Hillary’s Favorite Doughnut” in front of Doughnut Plant New York City last month, I harbored doubts. But just one visit set a new standard of quality sweets.
The doughnuts here are organic and free of preservatives, artificial coloring and eggs. Instead, the shop uses unbleached flour, organic nuts and 100 percent corn oil.
The doughnuts have attracted publicity in New York, where the company’s headquarters are located, as a snack for Hillary’s camp during the U.S. presidential primaries. They’re sold in Manhattan coffee bars and upscale food stores like Dean and Deluca.
Halfway around the world at the company’s first Korean flag-shop in Myeongdong, I ordered “Cake Box 1” for 6,900 won ($7.30), which was on special offer. The average cost for a doughnut here is around 2,500 won, double the price at Krispy Kreme and three times more than Dunkin Donuts.
The box includes Raspberry Chocolate, Cinnamon Sugar, Black Out and Triple Valrhona Chocolate. Surprisingly, none were really that greasy.
My favorite was Black Out, a chocolate doughnut dusted with cocoa flakes and filled with soft chocolate custard ― bliss. It tasted more like a brownie.
As a longtime fan of Dunkin Donut’s Old-fashioned ― the crisp plain kind with a sugar glaze ― I was disappointed by Doughnut Planet’s Cinnamon Sugar, the company’s plain non-glazed doughnut.
As a refreshing alternative, Raspberry Chocolate balanced fruity flavors and chocolate coatings.
Doughnut Plant might be a first for Korea, though. It’s possible that customers will come here to savor the doughnuts without bothering with the coffee.
By Park Soo-mee Staff Reporter [myfeast@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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