Let me begin by saying - I am a donut snob. Let me tell you what I mean:
- a REAL donut is a plain cake donut. Anything else; a raised (yeast), a filled - is a pastry. It may be delicious, or inventive, but it's a pastry. No hole in the middle? That's a circular pastry.
Ok, now you know what I mean. I am a pointless snob. It was beat into me when I worked at an Italian donut shop (literally beat, by the head baker, with donut glazing rods. Ask me another time).
So here I review the Portstewart branch. I asked 20-30 questions and observed the staff for half an hour.
The whole ambiance is hip and happy. The staff were great - worked well as a team and served things up really fast. It's a spacious storefront but the serving area is cramped. The four of them moved around each other well and I think unconsciously helped patrons relax. Good staff can do that. This is especially impressive with face masks - no visible smiles, but kindness behind the mask. Go team!
They also put up with my questions for half an hour. So that's great!
Donuts themselves:
Cinnamon sugar: disappointing. Cinnamon & sugar percentage was off. Too sugary (granted that is better than too cinnamony). Also, whoever sugared the donuts made a rookie mistake, and sugared them before they were near room temperature, which means that the sugar almost always falls off. Third mistake was the most glaring which is YOU NEVER SUGAR A RAISED DONUT - only a cake donut. It's not structurally able to hold much on its surface! Either way, as a plain donut I don't think it was terribly impressive.
Espresso Glaze Donut: also disappointing. Basically just a regular donut with a wee bit of glaze on it. The glaze itself would probably do well in a larger quantity or on a cake donut. Did I mention I like cake donuts?
Boston Creme: The creme was...a little salty? Different. Not off, but different. The chocolate on top was delicious. Like delicious delicious. Would but this again just for this. The creme hole was minimally invasive, always a sign of good craftsmanship. This is where a raised donut (pastry) shines.
S"more: Best for last. Just come for one of these and a cup of coffee. This was a delicious masterpiece. The TLC that went into this donut is evident. Hand piped marshmallow creme, creamy-rich chocolate topping, the crumbly, undiscovered topping (graham cracker? Digestive? Some sort of sugary oat mixture?). All the elements of pastry bliss. Light and fluffy, solid chocolate flavour, and a delicious donut base! What more could you want? The chocolate was particularly good. I don't know what the source is but it had a slight bitter edge to die for.
If anything will make your trip guilty, it'll probably be the smore. Maybe the decor.
I wish it was five stars; but honestly I picked the best of it donuts, and only two impressed. I can't imagine what the others tasted like.
The problem is, too many copies with only slight variation. A plain donut is capable of so many interesting and unique twists that bring out a mighty flavour. Guilt Trip might just be figuring that out still.
Three stars, but brought up to four by the great environment & staff. It's not often that such things can save a review, but these folks truly deserved it. Anyone who lets me ask questions for 30 minutes deserves it.
And thus ends my donut tome. read more