Mister Donut originated in Boston, 1955, and prominently became a doughnut mainstay in Japan in the 1970s, invoking joy and nostalgia in Japan, Taiwan and many parts of Asia. Their modern signature is not your regular doughnut: the Pon de Ring is a soft, springy circle of eight dough balls, beloved for its mochi-like texture. Alongside the unique Pon de Ring, there’s something for everyone in Mister Donut’s collection of chocolate, cream-filled, and dipped doughnuts. Singapore can now get a taste at the pop-up store until 14th August 2022, in WAttention Plaza at Jurong Point!
…or so they’d like you to think.
I have a horse in this race because we have been obsessed with Mister Donut for decades, thanks to a handful of limited edition donuts and a ton of kinako Pon de Rings in Japan and Taiwan. The horse is called “Please Bring Misudo to Singapore” and it was previously called “Please Bring Lady M to Singapore” and “Please Bring Shake Shack to Singapore,” which worked out pretty well so let’s hope it’s the right one to bet – beg – on this time. (We don’t talk about the time it was called “Please Bring Luke’s Lobster to Singapore” and we ate the soggiest lobster roll we’ve ever had, in Orchard. I should have written a review but my disappointment truly sapped my motivation to complain about it in many paragraphs.)
That driving motivation started a Journey the West – I’m Chinese* I’m obliged to make this joke – and we were bleary-eyed in Jurong a little before opening time for the limited Mister Donut pop-up store, which success would determine the fate of the horse called “Please Bring Misudo to Singapore.”
The Mister Donut Queue Experience
The Misudo staff corralled people into split queue areas, segmented by stall fronts and the orange juice machine we were absolutely not allowed to block. No one had wanted orange juice in the 1 hour and 40 minutes we were in queue, but one should think of the opportunity cost should there have been.
Each person is allowed a maximum of 10 donuts, maximum 4 Pon de Rings each order. Sets come in 6 ($13.50) and 10 ($22). You could buy them individually, but hours in queue will convince you that one doughnut is a poor outcome.
Nine Mister Donut Doughnut Reviews
Here’s what we got and ate over an ill-advised number of days, cobbled together from two ill-advised Journeys to the West. (Tip: if you’re keeping your doughnuts for the next day (and day after…), refrigerate them and take them out to thaw on the day. The glaze will weep nevertheless but the texture keeps better than being left at room temperature overnight.)
To start, I want to mention that the donuts with the same base don’t seem to have an appreciable difference in texture and taste – the bases seem to be remarkably consistent. So what you like best of the variants probably comes down to your taste.
The Pon de Ring’s signature squishy-springy mochi texture (yes it is Q, perhaps even QQ) did not disappoint, being as tactile and delicious as I remember. A new realization we had was that the dough actually tastes like the layered thickness of kosong roti prata. It’s too bad we only got the sugar glaze instead of our beloved kinako, because it’s way too sweet for us. Certainly not stopping me from eating it though.
The Strawberry Pon de Ring leans towards a more ‘real’ strawberry taste than one (I) would expect, but most of all, really tastes like strawberry Pocky. If you like that and QQ donut texture, I think you’ll like this. However, I would note that the waxy glaze does compete with the softness of the Pon de Ring.
The Old Fashioned is cakey with a doughnut flavour, and seems more dense in crumb than the rest. Some have said it’s crunchy but our freshly-acquired version was not. I preferred the Chocolate Fashioned to the plain, it gave more variety in taste despite the fact it’s just a little bit of dip. However, it’s not as exciting as the rest and I would personally prioritize other flavours.
The chocolate doughnut base of the Golden Chocolate (and its other variants) is pleasantly not too sweet, like a lighter and airier chocolate pound cake.
The golden crunch coating is slightly savoury, crisp and certainly eggy like custard bits.
The coconut of the Coconut Chocolate is just a touch crunchy, mostly softened by the sugar glaze that glues it to the doughnut.
The chocolate glaze of the Double Chocolate is serviceably decent chocolate; the little bits don’t really show up in terms of texture. However the chocolate taste profile is pretty much the same as the doughnut itself, and we personally preferred the golden crunch and coconut for an additional textural and taste contrast.
The Angel Cream and Honey Dip have a similar, regular soft doughnut base. It’s bready in taste and texture, slightly sweet and very soft, but allows for a clean bite.
The Honey Dip has a less sharp and pronounced sweetness than a sugar coating or glaze. It’s sweet, but milder than expected. I can’t say I really got the distinct taste of honey though.
The Angel Cream has the benefit of a light, airy cream that melts easily in the mouth but remains sturdy on the doughnut, similar to good clotted cream. I think it complements the bready dough well and breaks up potential jelak-ness. We liked this one better for this doughnut base. It’s too bad the sugar glaze overpowers the flavours in parts.
The Angel French has a dry, airy crumb and tastes like a choux with the texture of an eclair. I suspect the regular French cruller may not have an especially strong taste, so I reckon the cream version is more interesting if you’re keen on the texture. Personally, it’s not what I’m looking for in a doughnut.
My Top Three Mister Donut Doughnuts (thanks SEO)
I would buy these again with zero hesitation:
- Pon de Ring (sugar glaze but please bring in kinako)
- Golden Chocolate
- Angel Cream
Am I happy with Mister Donut’s Singapore pop-up doughnut quality? Yes.
Would I go again? Yes, absolutely, especially since we really did visit a second time.
If a permanent shop with the same quality opens up, I would definitely go AGAIN! with Feeling, to get the three above, in multiples. I am that enthused about the horse called “Please Bring Misudo to Singapore.”