I walked by a Mister Donut one morning in Kyoto and decided that I wanted a French crueller donut (read about
my love of French cruellers here). Mister Donut used to be a big donut chain in the U.S. back in the day but there are now only a scattered few here, across the Pacific however, it has become the largest donut chain in Japan and has expanded to several other East Asian and South East Asian countries including China and the Philippines.
For one donut, they gave me a pretty sturdy, decorative bag. The Japanese really do like their packaging. The donut which makes up the lion's mane is a mochi donut made of rice flour instead of wheat. I was able to sample one later on in the trip and the texture was a little bit denser than a raised donut but more airy than a cake. Still, I like the richer taste of a wheat flour donut.
As for the French crueller, the shape and form were spot on, but the taste was a little bit off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it didn't taste right. Whether it was the texture or the flavor, it didn't taste like the French cruellers I know and love. I guess it's more for Japanese tastes.
