Devour Cafe
Patisserie

Mar 2017
$5.00
Donut from Devour Cafe Patisserie

Our first (out of two) adventures to Devour was the day after we arrived in Australia. Less than 24-hours after touchdown, and marginally jet lagged, we had been invited out to brunch with my new sisters-in-law. Brunch in Adelaide, or perhaps I should say Australia, is a lifestyle necessity of our generation but perhaps too young of a venture to be titled iconic. My understanding is that a love of good coffee and the emergence of interiors featuring stripped back floors, basic walls, industrial furniture and large Edison-like light bulbs had founded the brunch movement. Places began popping up around the city and nation, in back streets and on main roads, abuzz with caffeine, protein bliss balls and menus on wooden clipboards.

Devour even throws in an old bicycle over the door for good measure and an attractive menu loaded with poached eggs, sourdough bread and ham hock. The coffee, although small in serve, is well made and one of the high points mentioned by faithful patrons. The cafe is also well known for its cakes and desserts, displayed simply by a small glass display cabinet perched on the front counter.

Devour Cafe Patisserie
Devour Cafe Patisserie,
RichmondView on Map

Following a smooth latte, a shared brunch of poached eggs with avocado on corn fritters, and ham hock Eggs Benedict; we found ourselves winding down a card game of Canasta – an old time favourite of ours which tends to bring out my negative, competitive nature. To help soothe my game nerves I walked to the counter where, low and behold, a maple and bacon donut stared back at me. Although full from the delicious brunch, the donuts were relatively small and between two would have been no more than a couple bites each.

Before getting judgemental on the combination of bacon and maple syrup, I challenge the reader to try it – diet permitting. The sweetness of the syrup, rich in flavour, perfectly balances the meatiness and saltiness of the bacon. Both excellent in their own right, particularly bacon, the two meld together in the mouth with pleasant effect. More frequently we see the partnership of maple and bacon popping up on cupcakes, donuts and other sweet delicacies (I’ve even had a deep fried Oreo wrapped in bacon, deep fried a second time and dunked in maple syrup). It’s becoming the new salted caramel of the dessert world. This was to be my first maple-bacon donut and although not strictly sprinkled and with thick icing, it still retained the donut shape, an icing, and a crunchy topping – therefore meeting the criteria of this blog.

Aesthetics — 8.5

This was a very pleasing donut to behold. The maple icing-glaze covered the donut attractively and evenly, giving a glossy sheen with the little cracks you’d expect in a well glazed donut. No cracks mean the icing is either too sticky and thick, or so thin it’s been soaked into the donut. Too many cracks mean the icing is older and dry - so some cracks in the glaze are a positive. The bacon pieces were scattered on top, not with a heavy hand but a fair one.

Topping — 7

There was a lack of crunch in the bacon and with only subtle flavour. Not that you want it to be too strong in flavour but overall the flavour was on the muted end of bacon-ness. The icing was a simple glazed affair - perfectly iced with the right amount of moisture and crunch. Not too sticky, sweet but not sickly and in good proportions.

Dough — 7.5

This dough was more cake-like in both texture and taste. It didn’t have the same spring that a typical fried donut should have. This donut was sweet but mildly so, allowing the sweetness in the glaze to contribute and the saltiness of the bacon to be more pronounced. It was more crumbly than a donut usually is and at a guess I would have said there was more butter used in the dough mixture, giving it that more crumbly cake appearance and texture - but I may be wrong.

Texture — 6

For starters as mentioned the cake-like texture of the donut with more crumble than spring gets a few points deducted for me (although some readers may enjoy this type of donut more!). It was easier to eat with a fork than it would have been to pick up and eat with your hands. I also wish there had been more crunch in both the topping (i.e the bacon was chewy rather than crispy) and the outside shell of the dough.

Overall

7.3

Worthy Contender

It was a good cafe donut, great in the setting of a lazy morning with latte and games. Homemade taste, texture and the aesthetics matched the vibe of where we sat. However, not enough yeast/doughyness and a lack of bacon crunch give it a slightly lower score.

  • Aesthetics: 8.5
  • Topping: 7
  • Dough: 7.5
  • Texture: 6
Adelaide West
#4
All Donuts
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