So after months of salivatinga over pictures of Dominic Ansel's cronuts all the way in NYC, yesterday I had my first bite of the intriguing pastry/donut. Before I started talking bout the eating experience, let me briefly tell you my struggle to get it.
I was actually planning to get it on Saturday with a couple of work friends. I read somewhere that we supposed to order it 3 hours beforehand, so we gave them a call on Friday after lunch. The conversation goes like this:
W: Good afternoon. Publico.
Z: Hi, Mbak. Katanya kronut di situ enak yaa (Hi, Miss. I heard the kronut there is delicious).
W: *giggles*. Iya, Bu. Enak, tapi disini kita harus dipesan 2 hari sebelumnya (Yes, Mam. It's delicious, but you need to place an order 2 days before the pick-up).
At this point I quickly calculating my decision. Well, people in NYC queue for Ansel's cronuts in rain or shine days. Reservations to Jiro's sushi restaurant need to be made months beforehand. Etc, etc.... anyway, I decided sometimes we need that extra patient to get good food. So I said: "Yes, I'll get 4 boxes (8 pieces) to be picked up on Sunday".
Between Friday afternoon to Sunday noon, they called me like 4 times. First, to confirm my order. Second, to ask what flavors I want (Note: There are three flavors: Mars, Butter cheese, and Creme brulee. Of course I asked them to mix the flavors). Three, they told me they can only be ready at 2pm instead of 12 like I first asked. Fourth, they called to say they're ready for pick up.
I got there about 20mins after they called. And they took 30 mins to set my payment. *rant, rant, rant*. They left me and my brother standing in front of the greeter's table while one of the greeters took out the kronut boxes, realized she got some of the boxes wrong, fetched the right boxes, and went up to get the check. 20 mins in and I was getting pissed so I told the security guy sternly "why is it so hard to pay you guys?". He then fetched another girl who told us their cashier was busy. So, I asked her how much is the total for everything (which the other girl went to have it printed on a bill), pay the amount, and went out the door. Phew, so inconvinient for take-away service.
Anyway, so we went to a very quiet cafe next door so my brother could do some work. There was where my life without kronuts ended. I took the first bite of the Mars bar kronut. Filled with Valrhona creme and topped with salted caramel glaze and some crunch flakes, the kronut was rather messy to eat. I thought they would inject the creme into the cronut, but this one they actually sliced the kronut in half, smothered in the filling, and put the kronut together again. Hence, when I bit it, the filling kinda spilled through the cutting.
'Nuff about the downsides. I actually like this kronut. It wasnt too sweet, for one. With all the gooey goodness it bears, it's actually smooth tasting. And crunchy. Oh yea, the kronut itself was crunchy and airy just like its papa (or mama) croissants. Though airy, it was still a bit doughy like its mama (or papa) donut. My brother nodded in approval on his first bite as well. He actually loved the crunch flakes, which were coated in chocolate but not overly sweet.
Hence, the verdict is: I love the taste but I didnt enjoy picking it up at the restaurant. Maybe if they were more attentive and applying better SOP, we didnt have to wait too long just to pay for the pastries. Though I consider reserving a seat and eating my kronut there next time (actually we planned to do that but they only got bar seats so we scratched the idea).
Get it at:
PUBLICO. Jl. Senopati no. 65, Jakarta.
021-52964960
IDR 24K/kronut. (Min. Order 2).
