New in Causeway Bay, Buttery Factory’s doughnuts worth the calories (and cost)
Popular in many Asian countries but surprisingly hard to find in Hong Kong, doughnuts are on the menu here, and some of the flavours are surprising, writes Pavan Shamdasani
Ah, the humble doughnut. So sweet, so tasty, so … round. Much of Asia has embraced the doughnut as its heart-clogging, fast-food dessert of choice: witness Japan’s cake-y Mister Donut and the ubiquitous Dunkin’ Donuts in the Philippines. Hongkongers, however, have never really embraced the deep-fried-dough trend, preferring a good old custard bun from a corner-shop bakery.
Not that chains haven’t tried to muscle in: Dunkin’ Donuts had a lone store back in the early '90s and, in 2008, Krispy Kreme announced it was closing its outlets after two years of operations. But maybe they were missing the handcrafted goodness and oddball gimmicks that are making everything from beer to burgers seem fresh again.
Enter Buttery Factory, a hole-in-the-wall doughnut store that’s popped open in an upstairs mall in the middle of Causeway Bay. The place prides itself on serving up daily made, handcrafted and freshly flavoured fried dough in both regular glazed varieties and uniquely crested rings.
There are hipster favourites such as earl grey, matcha green tea and cheesecake, but Buttery Factory also pushes boundaries with over-the-top (and, some might say, questionable) flavours such as bacon and Peking duck, which have real chunks of meat on top.
As a bit of a doughnut … er … nut, I dared only try the regular glazed kind. I have to admit, they were some of the best I’ve had since my New York college days, when I scarfed down endless fried delights at renowned city chain Doughnut Plant.
Buttery Factory’s regular glazed doughnuts are HK$28 each, while the fancier kinds start at HK$32. They’re not cheap, admittedly, but it’s a small price to pay for a treat that’s so damn hard to find in our fair city.
Buttery Factory is at 2/F, Causeway Place, 2 Great George Street, Causeway Bay
