Cream Pony

Restaurants located in interesting locations and/or hidden spots can often draw interest on just that alone.  Think of it, a spot off an alleyway is just the type of place that make people feel like they found a hidden gem.  So the lane storefront of the newly opened Cream Pony fits that description completely.  Yes, they face the lane behind 1st Street just off of Lonsdale in North Vancouver.  I dropped by recently in their first few weeks of operation for their brioche donuts, fried chicken and yes...  fried chicken sandwiches!

So they open at 10:00am and you'd better come early because the donuts go quick.  They do not start their fried chicken service until 12:00pm.  So I did go early to get the donuts that included OG Glazed ($3.25), Salted Caramel ($3.50), D'oh Nut ($3.50 & Simpson's reference...), Blueberry Bourbon Basil ($3.75), Lemon Poppyseed ($3.50) and Key Lime Cheesecake ($4.50).  There was one more that is in the next picture...

...being the Honey & Sea Salt Cruller ($3.75).  I thought the brioche donut (OG, Blueberry, Key Lime and D'oh Nut) was light, airy and low on sweetness that let the impactful glaze do all the heavy-lifting.  I would've liked the brioche to be a little less dry, but I'm sure things will change as time goes on (like how Mello did after their initial opening).  The cake donuts were moist and with some crispiness on the outside.  Loved the lemon poppyseed with a nice tang and sweetness.  Cruller was also good with crunch and then a soft eggy interior.  Just sweet enough.  My favourite was the blueberry bourbon basil.  Tasted exactly like I thought it would be and it was balanced.  Overall, I enjoyed the donuts.

So I returned at noon and went for their Buttermilk Fried Chicken with half OG and half Cajun.  I thought the batter was nicely seasoned and crunchy.  The skin was mostly rendered and as for the Cajun, it had a nice spice to it.  The dark meat was juicy but the white meat was a touch dry.  The OG was also seasoned enough, but I much preferred the Cajun due to the complexity of the flavours.  I also got the Hushpuppies and the Tater Tots as my sides.  Crunchy on the outside and somewhat moist on the inside, the savoury hushpuppies were further enhanced with the whipped honey butter.  Tater tots were crunchy and hey who doesn't like tater tots? 

So the REAL reason I was here is pretty obvious, if you follow my new IG account: @shermaneatschickensandwiches !  Yes I ordered both of their sammies including the OG Fried Chicken Sandwich. I added cheese as well as a side of hot honey.  This was pretty good with a soft bun, thick cut tangy & sweet bread & butter pickles and a crunchy batter.  The chicken breast was a touch dry, but not terribly.  With the addition of the honey, it really added the necessary punch of sweetness and spiciness.  

My favourite of the 2 had to be the Cajun Fried Chicken Sandwich that had all of the same components as the OG, but with the addition of spice and spiciness.  The chicken breast was about the same but a little less dry due to its thickness.  The batter was nicely seasoned with a background heat and the spicy mayo added another shot of spice.  Good flavour overall that was balanced off by the sweet and tangy pickles.  The bun was soft, but I would've personally liked one that was a bit less moist.  In the end, I though the donuts were quite good as was the fried chicken and sandwiches.  I look forward to the tweaks that will be made as time passes.  They just opened, I'll return to try them again in the future (now I know where to find them).

The Good:
- Good spice and spices in the Cajun fried chicken
- Impactful donut flavours that have balanced sweetness
- Yes, it has that hidden location appeal to it

The Bad:
- White meat could be a touch more moist
- Brioche donuts could be slightly softer too