Brioche by Philip is one of those places that was a big deal when it opened, but now, despite having opened numerous additional locations, it’s almost faded into obscurity behind the hype of the unstoppable waves of new and increasingly instagrammable foodie hot spots.
I’ve stopped in a few times, to grab a coffee and maybe a danish, as I’ve passed by it’s various locations on the way to somewhere else – it’s never been a destination, as such.
In stark contrast to Doughnut Time, which has lines round the block every time it opens a new location. And yet, it’s exactly that offering that caught my attention today. The doughnut/donut fad is real. It’s real and it’s big. There are doughnut stores blossoming across the nation like some kind of delicious plague. And Brioche by Philip has obviously tried to get on the back of that wave with their bronut – that’s right, a brioche donut.
My initial thoughts are that they certainly aren’t as Instagrammable. The filled ones in particular look a little, well, flat. But I figured I should take one for the team and give it a try. I opted for that little beauty second from the right – Nutella Caramel Glaze. (At this point I might also add, that at $6.50 with a small coffee it’s also a fab deal compared to the current soaring prices of the doughnut economy.)
My initial thoughts on pulling it from the bag were Ohhh here we go. Another sickeningly sweet creating on the doughnut fad train. The caramel glaze was thick and sticky, coating my fingers and threatening to make a mess before I’d even taken a bite.
But oh.
My.
God.
This bronut is a gift from the gods. It wasn’t sickeningly sweet at all (personally I can’t even get through half a Doughnut Time doughnut without feeling sick). It was light, fluffy, and perfectly balanced. The nutella centre and the caramel glaze set each other off, highlighting the respective hazelnut and caramel flavours respectively, without just tasting like sugar. The texture was soft yet firm against the teeth, the al dente of the pastry world, giving way to the glaze with a juiciness that reminded me of a rum baba, but not at all soggy.
Friends, I am completely, utterly converted.
And I don’t know how the doughnut craze sweeping the nation has not yet caught onto these.
Get on it.
(For the coffee lovers amongst us, they also use a blend from 5 Senses Coffee which has a pleasant nuttiness to it.)
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