Doughnuts are now the Next Big Thing with at least nine doughnut brands all over the island
By Brenda Goh
IN 2000, it was pork floss bun. In 2001, it was bubble tea. Two years later, it was RotiBoy.
And now, the latest food fad to roll into Singapore is the doughnut.
There are now at least nine doughnut brands islandwide, and some have done so well that they are opening more outlets.
The craze started last December with Donut Factory, which opened a small kiosk in Raffles City.
Popular for its colourful, glazed and lusciously filled doughnuts, it drew long queues within a month. And now, queueing to reach the counter takes up to a leg-numbing two hours - and yet many are prepared to wait.
Donut Factory owner Gunter Rahim decided to open a doughnut shop because he was unable to find good doughnuts in Singapore.
A German who has lived here for almost 10 years, he did extensive research by reading recipe books and taste-tested doughnuts from places in Europe and the United States.
Though he declined to reveal how many he sells a day, he said the double chocolate glazed one is Donut Factory's bestseller.
Already, demand has outstripped supply, and Mr Rahim is set to open a second outlet in Suntec City late this month.
'We've reached our maximum production at Raffles City,' he said. 'We are totally overwhelmed as we didn't expect this sort of response.'
Other shops which opened in its wake are Vinco in VivoCity, which opened this January; Marcial Kobe in The Central, which opened this February; and Missy Donut in Bukit Panjang Plaza which opened last week.
Most sell similar doughnuts that are glazed or topping-filled, and flavours range from Vinco's sashimi doughnut to Missy Donut's pistachio crunch doughnut. A doughnut usually costs about $1.20, while a box of 12 is sold for close to $12.
Only Marcial Kobe's doughnuts stand out from the crowd - each one is significantly smaller at only about 4cm in diameter.
Urged by the growing popularity of the pastries here, owner Hiroshi Takiue took its signature mini-ring-doughnuts to Singapore after three years of doing business in Japan.
'Sales in Japan were going down so I decided to bring our doughnuts to Singapore,' he said.
And that is not all.
Just three months ago, Raffles Junior College student Eddison New began selling what he claims to be authentic Dunkin' Donuts on the Internet.
But New declined to say where the doughnuts are made or where they are brought in from.
Doughnuts - essentially deep-fried dough - have resurfaced here after a short hiatus.
Popular American chain Dunkin' Donuts had held fort here for many years until it pulled out in the late 1990s.
In recent years, with Singaporeans travelling overseas carting home boxes of fluffy and colourfully decorated doughnuts from Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts, the humble snack made a comeback.
Food craze or not, doughnut operators are already cashing in by expanding.
Summer House at Burlington Square branched out into Ang Mo Kio Hub in March this year. Missy Donut will open a second outlet in Plaza Singapura in August.
Its marketing manager Zann Soh said: 'We're very confident about business as we believe that this recipe, which we brought over from Japan, suits Singaporeans' tastes.'
Meanwhile, long-time players in the market such as the Four Leaves and Swissbake chains say they are not bothered by the sudden competition.
Four Leaves' assistant general manager Steven Ong said the craze has actually boosted business in Pop DoH, its doughnut shop which opened in Ngee Ann City six years ago.
However, Mr Xavier Baumgartner, managing director of Swissbake, which began selling doughnuts seven years ago, said: 'Though any publicity is good, it didn't increase sales that much because our European-style doughnuts are different from the American ones.'
While many Singaporeans are lapping up the doughnut craze, some like 19-year-old student Liu Wen Hsin see it as just a passing trend.
She said: 'These businesses are attempting to create doughnuts similar to those of Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. But they're not as nice.
'Singaporeans will realise in time that these Singaporean doughnut shops are just not as good as the American chains.'
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SUMMER HOUSE, 01-05 Burlington Square, 175 Bencoolen Street. Tel: 6238-7655 and B2-33 Ang Mo Kio Hub, opens from 11am to 8pm daily, closed on alternate Tuesdays
Flavours: 17 flavours such as Summer Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake and Cinnamon Circle. Prices start from $1 for a Summer Snow doughnut.
Tested: Summer Snow
Rating: 4/5. Very good. The dough is very light but would taste better with more sugar.
DONUT FACTORY, B1-61, Raffles City, Tel: 6337-6268, opens from 12.30 to 9pm daily
Flavours: 15 flavours such as Wasabi Cheese and Cheese Tar Tar. Priced at $1.10 for a glazed doughnut, $1.20 for assorted doughnuts and $11 for a box of 12.
Tested: Glazed doughnut
Rating: 4/5. Slightly crispy on the outside from the light sugar glaze, and delectably soft on the inside - this is lovely to bite into.
SWISSBAKE, 10 outlets islandwide, including B1-14 Centrepoint Shopping Centre (Tel: 6732-3947, opens on weekdays 9am to 10pm and weekends 9am to 10.30pm) and 01-05 Holland Village Shopping Centre (Tel: 6465-5041, opens 9am to 10pm daily)
Flavours: Raspberry marmalade, vanilla custard and chocolate. Priced at $1.50 each.
Tested: Raspberry Marmalade Berliner
Rating: 4.5/5. It's fluffy and the texture's good. Biting into it is like biting into a plump pillow.
ST LEAVEN, B2-08-1 Ngee Ann City, Tel: 6735-1235, opens from 10am to 9.30pm
Flavours: Nine varieties such as Potato Donut ($1.20) and Softball Donut (two for $1.30)
Tested: Softball donut
Rating: 3.5/5. Chewy but a little too doughy. But it has just the right amount of sweetness.
MISSY DONUT, 01-41 Bukit Panjang Plaza, Tel: 6339- 5677, opens from 10am to 10pm
Flavours: 16 flavours such as Chocolate Ice Glaze, Strawberry Candy and Kaya Wonder. Priced at $1.10 for sugar or glazed doughnuts and $1.20 for assorted; $10 for a box of six sugar or glazed doughnuts and $11 for a box of 12 assorted doughnuts.
Tested: Original doughnut
Rating: 3.5/5. This new kid on the block is not bad - the dough is fluffy and soft. But it is a little too sugary.
POP DOH, B2-08-6 Ngee Ann City, Tel: 6738-8532, opens from 10am to 9.30pm
Flavours: More than 30 flavours such as cake donuts, mini donuts and French crullers
Tested: Cake doughnut
Rating: 3/5. Though it's not too sweet, the doughnut is pretty dense and is more cake-like than bread-like. But then again, cake doughnuts, leavened with baking powder, are heavier than traditional yeast doughnuts.
VINCO, 02-125 VivoCity, Tel: 6376-8238, opens from 10.30am to 9pm (Mon to Thu) and 10.30am to 10pm (Fri to Sun)
Flavours: 15 flavours such as Sashimi, Mon Cherie and Smiling Nutz. Prices start from $1 for an original doughnut to $1.20 for a flavoured one.
Tested: Original doughnut
Rating: 2/5. It's too oily and tastes a little like dough fritters from a hawker centre.
MARCIAL KOBE, B1-40 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street. Tel: 6534-7726, opens from 11am to 10pm daily
Flavours: Eight flavours such as French Sugar, White Chocolate and Peanut. Priced at $4 for 12 doughnuts
Tested: French sugar doughnut
Rating: 2/5. This mini doughnut - it measures just 4cm in diameter - has a nice, slight crunch to it. But its size may also be the reason for its too-oily texture.
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