A Japanese donut brand decided to test itself against Canada’s donut obsession by walking right into it, starting in Vancouver.
Truffle Donut, the “nama” donut chain out of Japan, opens its first Canadian location on June 6 in the former Ikoi Donut space on Tyne Street.
The grand opening runs June 6 and 7, and the first 100 customers each day get the signature truffle donut for 50% off.
We got pulled in for an early preview of the donuts and the back kitchen, and left with a box and a new favourite.
First, the backstory for anyone who missed our earlier report.
Truffle Donut started in Tottori Prefecture in 2022 and has grown to more than 25 shops across Japan, with newer outposts in Taiwan and Thailand.
The whole thing is built on “nama” donuts, nama meaning raw or pure, the same word behind nama chocolate.
The dough is kneaded with pumpkin and Japanese flour, then slow-fermented at a low temperature, which gives these a soft, almost pudding-like inside instead of chew.
That pumpkin base is the trick, because it makes the donut less sweet while keeping it moist.
You would expect anything made with pumpkin to sit heavy, but we devoured the truffle and the matcha and felt totally fine after, which is a DANGEROUS quality for a donut to have.
The truffle donut is the odd one out.
It skips the cream filling the others have and instead carries a real, surprisingly strong hit of truffle dusted across the outside.
The matcha was the one that got us.
Unlike the matcha cream donuts that lean sweet and milky, this one goes hard on the matcha, all grassy, umami, slightly bitter depth where you expect sugar.
It was our favourite of the visit, and when we said so, CEO Takuya Furuta smiled and told us it is his too.
We also tried the pistachio, oreo, and custard, and left with a box of six.
Takuya told Noms Magazine the Canada move started with his connection to Michelle, the brand’s Canadian owner.
He was blunt about the goal, saying Canada already has a deep, thriving donut culture, so he wanted to challenge that market and see how a Japanese donut measures up.
He picked Vancouver as the starting line for the mild climate and the mix of people, calling it a place where various cultures are mixed together.
Getting the recipe right here was not simple.
Takuya said Canadian flour behaves differently from Asia’s, so they tested dozens of flours before settling on about seven.
Vancouver’s drier air also pushed them to a longer proofing time than in Japan.
A maple flavour is being teased as a Canadian exclusive, and more BC locations, possibly Richmond, are already on his radar.
If you like the Korean brioche cream donuts from Goldies or Mello, this is a different but worthy detour, sweet but not too sweet, with that pumpkin twist.
Talia’s pick: make the matcha your first one, since it was the standout for us and the CEO’s own favourite.
Truffle Donut joins other recently opened Vancouver food spots including Time Out Market Vancouver, Hiyori Coffee, and Namba Curry.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 5712 Tyne Street, Vancouver, BC