Just a quick time-out from Mac-related blogging to talk about another favourite pastime of mine – doughnuts (or donuts as the Americans tend to spell it).

So, we have the American chain Krispy Kreme here in Australia now. I like their doughnuts – though I find them a little too sickly. It isn’t that they are too sweet, it is more that I just don’t like the taste of that thick glaze they pour over everything. That doesn’t stop me eating them of course.

Recently I’ve found a new chain here called Doughbuoys. This is an Australian-owned chain that is obviously meant to be a competitor to Krispy Kreme in the “boutique” doughnut market.

I’ve been meaning to try them out, and today I had the opportunity. I was heading over to my Dad’s for an early Father’s Day get-together, so I picked up a box of 6.

I have to say – fantastic doughnuts. Better than Krispy Kreme. Easily. So soft, so full of fillings, not overly sickly with the glaze. Just fantastic doughnuts.

The only downside is the price. The doughnuts are a little smaller than Krispy Kreme, and a box of 6 assorted Doughbuoys costs around the same as a box of 12 assorted Krispy Kremes. But the taste is worth it – superb doughnuts.

Still, hard for these guys to compete with Krispy Kreme. Their stores are smaller, there are fewer of them, and their doughnuts cost more. Having said that, if I was having a party and I wanted doughnuts, I’d be looking at going to Doughbuoys in the future.

The only other big doughnut chain we have in Australia is Donut King. This chain is huge – there are hundreds of the stores around Australia. This is another Australian-owned company, and has been around for over 20 years. The oddity is the name – “Donut” being a typical American spelling for “Doughnut”, and of interest, Krispy Kremes in Australia uses “doughnut” everywhere, even on their logo. Interesting, given most American companies come to Australia and don’t give a damn about Australian spelling. However, it appears they use the spelling “doughnut” in the US too – not sure why.

Donut King doughnuts are nice enough – they are more your traditional doughnut though. Not quite in the same league as Krispy Kreme and Doughbuoys. And since they can’t spell, they don’t deserve my business. :-)

Just for completeness, I should mention Mister Donut in Japan – since I’ve eaten there on numerous occasions. Apparently this was once a US chain, but only a few stores exist in North America now. In Japan however, this chain is everywhere. They make good doughnuts, though they tend to not be sweet enough for my taste – more suited to Japanese palettes I suspect. However, a great treat when in Japan and looking for doughnuts.

I have heard that Krispy Kreme is now in Japan. I wonder if they’ve toned down the sweetness to appeal more to the Japanese?