Bun Appétit Donuts

While finishing up our filling Japanese lunch at Satomi, it was suggested we check out Bun Appétit Donuts nearby.  We weren't overly familiar with the place, but once inside, we were amazed at the large selection of designer donuts.  Getting over the initial sticker shock ($3.50 - $5.00 per donut), we went about ordering a selection to go.  On that note, before anyone judges the pricing, one must have to actually eat the donuts first.  That we did where we discovered the quality and care that goes into every donut.

My daughter couldn't control herself and went straight for the Double Chocolate Donut.  After I was able to sample it too, it was obvious why.  Normally, cake donuts are dense and heavy, but not this one.  Similar to chiffon, the donut was light and airy.  Rather than being straight-up sweet, it was full of dark chocolate flavour.  On the bottom left, the Everything Donut was savory with cream cheese filling and tasted like the bagel, but in a donut!  The 3 filled donuts were Ube, Hazelnut Cream and Strawberry Cream.  Of the 3, I enjoyed the strawberry the most because of the fruitiness.  On the other hand, the hazelnut was aromatic, nutty and only purposefully sweet.  I didn't mind that one either.

The one donut that stuck out in my mind was the Peach as it was deceptively filled with jelly in the middle despite being ring-shaped.  As such, the entire thing was truly peach-flavored in every bite.  Combined with a delicate texture, this did not eat heavy.  Being a donut, it was naturally sweet, but not so much that it was overwhelming. Similarly, the Lemon Lavender was also filled in the middle.  As such, it was also a bigger donut in terms of diameter and thickness.  Again, it didn't eat heavy and despite being sweeter than the peach, it really wasn't overdoing it.  I usually do not like lavender in any of my desserts, but this was subtle enough to be appealing.  Just above the lemon lavender, there was the Guava Cheesecake.  Unmistakably guava tasting, the donut featured cream cheese in the middle and it really did have elements of cheesecake (especially with the graham crackers on top).  Nothing much to say about the Churro donut other than it had the classic cinnamon sugar as well as a dulce de leche drizzle.  The Rocky Road ate someone like a s'mores due to the toasted marshmallows on top.  Lastly, the Tiramisu was appealing with a creamy marscapone filling as well as a dusting of cocoa powder on top.

We tried 3 more filled donuts in the Kalamansi, Mango and Chocolate Cream.  Predictably, the kalamansi was the most flavorful of the 3 with an explosion of tang and sweetness.  Loved the silkiness of the custard cream.  Rich and purposefully sweet, the chocolate was solid.  I thought the mango was just as good as the kalamansi with impactful natural flavors.  If you remember the pricing of these donuts, the total cost of 15 donuts was around $70.00.  Was it worth it?  Like everything else, it comes down to subjectivity.  I loved the donuts and the cost was not really an issue.  However, for some the price maybe too steep.

The Good:
- Carefully crafted
- Unique
- Huge variety

The Bad:
- Expensive