I was mighty excited when I heard that Krispy Kreme was coming to Chennai. Having an outlet near my Bangalore office helps me get a dose of donuts when I am there, so wishing it came to Chennai was a monthly affair for me. I have never sat down to eat donuts, though. Always picked them up on the go and munched them through. I introduced my friend to KK when we went for a movie and he was hooked for life, or so he said. When KK was giving away free donuts before the launch, I wanted to get my hands on them. Not because they were free, but because I love them so much and didn't want to wait for a trip to Bangalore to get my hands on them.
When they finally opened up, I was ready. Ready to stuff my face with donuts. Ready to write a glowing post on this blog. My head already knew what I wanted to write. Words were flowing. Decided to take the family, but only two of us ended up going. I left my friends behind. Foody friends were ditching each other to get their hands on the donuts before the others. We ordered a dozen. We sat down. We opened it. We smiled. We rubbed our hands. We took the first bite.
We were praising it. But within me, I knew something was wrong. Her face showed the same. Neither of us admitted it. But action speaks louder than words, doesn't it? By the end of half hour, very single donut was left half bitten. One bite by each of us, so half of it was left. Except the original glaze that was eaten in full. We realised that we had to admit it. Something was wrong. Opening glitches, I told myself. After all, I've had KK abroad and in Bangalore, so it was not some fantasy, but one that I loved.
Next week. A box of Donut House donuts that normally disappear when I take home seemed like a memory. A box of KK donuts were still lying there after two days. Yesterday, I took more of the original glaze and the result was slightly better than the assorted donuts. But the boxes were not emptied.
This has been tougher for me to write than admitting that the Legendary burger at Hard Rock, Chennai was dry! More disappointing that having McDonalds serve a toned down and no beef version of their burgers in India. Much more difficult to digest than the fact that most international chocolates taste much better abroad than in India.
I know that at the price point, there are better burgers in Chennai than McD. I know that Haagen Daz is not great for single scoop ice creams, but for their sundaes. But I don't know why Krispy Kreme didn't go well with me in Chennai. Is it the weather that makes the burger dry and makes the KK donuts sweeter? The more I look for an explanation, the more I am confused. I think I've been able to deduce that its much sweeter here, but that's all I can point to. Don't know much more.
Why did I decide to write this today? Another crazy KK fan, told me yesterday that he felt something was wrong, but didn't know why. My friend who I introduced to KK, told me yesterday that he enjoyed KK more in Bangalore. Family felt this way. Maybe we are the only group who feels this way or maybe there are more who feel this way.
For now, the coffee in KK is very very nice. So a coffee and a original glaze if I need to spend some time reading a book or working out of office (though the KK in EA is not really suited for that, the one in Bangalore is). If I need to take a box, then its Donut House! A home grown brand built on the concept of an international brand, trumps it in its home city. A case where the student becomes better than the teacher, at least in the home turf!!!! I guess this augers well for the Chennai food scene.
Update:
My post gathered a lot of response and most of them have felt that KK is too sweet for them, not just in Chennai but elsewhere too. Is it the fact that I normally pick up a KK donut on the run in other places, but I sat down to eat them in Chennai, making Chennai KK donuts taste worse? Does eating them on the run reduce the effect of the sweetness? No idea!
Photo Credit: Krispykreme.in
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