Big Apple @ The Curve & J.Co Donuts @ Pavilion

NOTE: This posting dated 27 October 2007 was moved from my previous blog (makanminusmeat.blogspot.com).

Okay, so donuts don’t exactly constitute a “vegetarian meal”, but I just had to blog about them because they’re soooooo yummy!

The story goes that Indonesian chain J.Co was “inspired” by the famous American chain known as Krispy Kreme and Big Apple (another Indonesian chain), in turn, was “inspired” by J.Co. Whichever the case, my palate is just glad that two out of the three have made it to our shores.

My first taste of these delish treats was from Big Apple at The Curve. Bought half a dozen (RM 9.50) and immediately fell in love with the Chocoholic (filled and glazed with chocolate!). Also liked the Hot Berry (I have a thing for strawberry jam and donuts). Not too sweet, not too rich. Just riiiiiight! Ha ha!

The Glacier was plain and nice — good with a hot cuppa, I would imagine. Chocoring and Go Nutz were your regular chocolate-dipped and chocolate-dipped with chopped nuts versions. Nothing to shout about, but yummy just the same. The last one I tried was topped with white chocolate and covered with black sesame seeds — an unusual combination that didn’t quite impress my tastebuds.

The donuts were feather-light and soft, unlike the dense, heavy Dunkin Donut style that we all know so well. It was a pleasant surprise to find a donut that didn’t make me feel overstuffed halfway through the first piece. Oh, and there wasn’t much of a queue when I was there on a Sunday evening, so I guess my timing was right because …

I stopped by Pavilion on a Sunday afternoon to give J.Co a try (even though a friend had already bought some for a bunch of us earlier that week). It was a 20-minute queue that moved veeeeeery slowly because most people couldn’t make up their minds about the flavours that they wanted.

The variety at J.Co was wider than Big Apple’s. My favourites from the half dozen (RM 11.50) that I bought were the chocolate-filled and glazed Coco Loco (the bitter-sweet chocolate is more mind-blowing than Big Apple’s version), Ice Chocolate (completely drenched in chocolate!) and Why Nut (filled with smooth, creamy peanut butter and glazed with white chocolate).

J.Co’s donuts are as light as Big Apple’s, but a little higher on the sugar content — especially the glaze on the Blueberry. It was super-sugary-sweet. Too sweet for even this sweet-toothed donut fiend. The JCrown chocolate was a tad chewy and last, but not least, Crunchy Crunchy (chocolate cornflakes on a chocolate glaze … did I mention that I like chocolate?) had a nice contrast of textures, but it wasn’t one of those flavours that I’d fight with someone over the last donut for.

Service at both outlets was friendly and efficient, as one would come to expect from a fast-moving environment. No complaints.

So there you have it, my little donut rave. And, I’d like to point out that there are things that a non-meat eater can indulge in that aren’t exactly beneficial to the waist-line, pocket or blood sugar level, so we don’t survive on rabbit food … Rabbit food and donuts, maybe! Ha ha!

Big Apple Donuts and Coffee
Lot G72A, Ground Floor, The Street
Western Courtyard
The Curve
Mutiara Damansara
Tel: 03-7726 4250

J.CO Donuts & Coffee
LL1.05, Pavilion KL
168, Jln Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2141 7751

Tags: food