Duffin's Donuts

"Oh really? That place?" is what Polka King remarked when I revealed my intentions for grub after our Wednesday night hockey. "Isn't it like on Main & 33rd?" Nope, Duffin's has been at it's current location for awhile now and it has always intrigued me. Sure, I've been to their old location eons ago and I have barely even a vague recollection of the food. I mention food because in addition to donuts, there is an eclectic mix of everything under the sun. Where else can you get donuts, Chinese food, noodle soup, bubble tea, ice cream, coffee, fried chicken, breakfast and Mexican torta subs? That's right folks, what you have here is a food fair, all under one roof. Best of all, this can all be had 24 hours a day! To be honest, I drive by it all the time and I don't even give it a second look. But once again, at 2:00am in the morning on a Thursday, there is little choice.

To us, it felt like we were going on a field trip, much like when we were younger. You know, to a place that is a bit mysterious and intriguing. Well, when we entered the place, it sure looked like something we had seen in our field trips in our youth. Whereas newer hip places have updated decor with organized displays and lighting, Duffin's kicks it ol' school with fixed cushionless booth seating. Wait, there's more! How about a long counter of displays that have nothing to do with each other and "warming" lamps from Ikea? Oh, you gotta be impressed with the 24 flavours of soft-serve or the several varieties of torta subs. The plethora of choice confused Polka King and he spent a good deal of time deciding. While he was figuring it all out, I went for a few pieces of fried chicken, a Buttermilk Lemon Donut and a Grilled Beef Torta Sub.

I walked on over to a seat in the corner to take my pictures. Hey, at this hour and the clientele at the place, they truly might've wondered WTH I was doing. I've heard that the fried chicken here is good; but to me, it was barely passable. I blame it on the fact it was probably sitting there for awhile because the chicken was not all that juicy or tender. Flavour wise, it wasn't bad, particularly the spicy one. Again, people have raved about the tortas here and I didn't feel quite the same. It wasn't terrible; but there was very little meat and the whole thing was just underwhelming. Gimme one from Las Tortas over this anytime. I didn't mind the donut, it was cakey, sweet and yummy. I was practically finished before Polka King received his breakfast which consisted of 2 eggs, sausages and toast. To me at least it didn't look all that appetizing. Could it be the foam plate? Or maybe the sausages looked oilier than a pan pizza at Pizza Hut? Not sure; but Polka King ate it all. He didn't hate it; yet didn't like it either. You're probably thinking I dislike Duffin's. On the contrary, I don't. Hey, I'm not gonna do any weekly runs to the place; but it serves a purpose. It's 24 hours of mediocre food in a mediocre environment. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Good:
- It's cheap
- Open 24 hours
- Diverse selection of food

The Bad:
- Food is mediocre at best
- You don't want to hang out here too long