The humble doughnut has been subject to a huge variety of toppings and alterations since my childhood days of sugar-coated, powdered, or glazed options. In modern times people do not blink when they see doughnuts covered in bacon and maple glaze. The cronut has become so ingrained in our modern lexicon my auto-correct did not even flag it for correction.
Floresta Nature Donuts
Of course, the variations continue, and we arrive at this moment in 2021, where Floresta Nature Donuts in Osaka (大阪府) attempts to create a delicious gluten-free and vegan version of this ring of deep-fried goodness.
The brown rice doughnuts at Floresta take on two forms: the classic ring-shaped sugar doughnut (¥260) and the vegan curry-bread (¥320).
Brown rice doughnuts
The brown rice doughnuts have a wonderfully nutty flavour and a very light sweetness that was perfect for my palette. The doughnut had a satisfying and crunchy outer shell, and I appreciated the very light coating of sugar. It was a perfect match for the cold brew coffee I had sitting just off-screen. While the delicious interior texture was not exactly what you would expect from a doughnut as it was more similar to sponge cake, that is hardly a criticism.
Vegan curry bread
The real surprise at Floresta was the vegan curry bread. After eating it I had to double-check with my wife that these delicious fried buns were indeed vegan. The cake-like texture of the brown rice dough was perfect for savoury and sweet preparations.
The curry filling had the texture of a finely minced ground beef, which I was assured was indeed made from a soy-based meat substitute. Wonderfully spiced, with a great texture and the real revelation was how light the dish was. Removing the meat from the filling made the deep-fried nature of the dish less heavy, this was much appreciated after having two doughnuts in one sitting.
Closing
So, in my humble opinion, Floresta’s vegan doughnuts are well worth the trip.
Floresta Nature Donuts (フロレスタ)
Address: 5-1-60 Namba, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076
Nearest station: Nankai Namba Station (なんば駅)
Access: One the second floor, outside the South Ticket Gates (南改札口)
Note: Floresta Nature Donuts has multiple locations in Osaka and the rest of Japan. This address is for the Nankai Namba store in Osaka, please check the website for other locations.
Header image credit: Eugene Lee
