Sunday, March 18, 2012

J. CO DONUTS & COFFEE AT SM MEGAMALL




             A few months ago, as I was strolling along Greenbelt 3, I saw a sign about this Donut place that would be opening called "J. CO Donuts and Coffee".  It's supposedly really big in Indonesia and Malaysia, and they've started opening stores in China and Singapore. 


            Last March 15, Rina and I dropped by the opening of J. Co Donuts and Coffee's first Philippine Branch at Megamall to grab us some donuts, just to see what everyone seemed so excited about. Unfortunately, the line that had formed for the opening was ridiculous, and we were told that if we wanted to buy a donut, we might have to wait around two hours. 


           Yes, you read that right. Two Hours. For a DONUT. 


            So to call J. Co's arrival here in the Philippines "a success" would be a massive understatement. 



         As you could imagine, I wasn't planning on standing in line that long so I decided to go back the following Saturday morning, where there was a good sized crowd inside but virtually no line at all. 


                     Though the lighting is a bit too orangey for my liking, the place is looks like quite a comfortable and relaxing place to lounge around. When I reach professional blogger status, and I can spending my afternoons writing at home or at coffee shops this would be one of the first places I could think about settling in. 


                      As soon as you walk in, you'll see the large counter of donuts on your right, showcasing a wide selection of donuts to choose from. The choices Range from the regular Glazed, to a Black Forest, and even a Green Tea! 



                           On the other side, if you just wanna go straight for the their coffees and frappees, there's a counter specifically for that. 

THE DONUTS



                 The signature donut of J. Co's is called the "Alcapone". It's a wonderful smearing of generous heapings of belgian white chocolate, topped with toasted almonds. It was deliciously milky and creamy, and instantly became Rina's favorite.



            The glazed, or the "Glazzy", isn't very different from Krispy Kreme, but in my opinion (and possibly because it wasn't hot), it wasn't as melt in your mouth. 



                I ordered the Copa Banana for Rina. It was a great medley of a Dark Chocolate topping and rich Banana cream center. Next to the Alcapone, this was one of her favorites.



                   Rina was intrigued by Forest Glam, which is J. Co's version of "Black Forest". I've never been a fan of Black Forest and not even J. Co could change that. It wasn't horrible, mind you, but Black Forest has some sort of liqueur flavor to it that I have a strong dislike for. Granted, that said flavor wasn't very strong in this donut, I could still taste a hint that was enough for me to not pursue another bite. However if you're into it, then


              I can't decide which one is my favorite.. the Alcapone or the Blue Berrymore. The donut is topped with Blueberry Sauce, which is sweet without going overboard. White chocolate sprinkles are then gently laid down around the edges.

         The best thing about this, however was was the cream cheese filling inside it that was the glue the brought together the sweetness of the blueberry and the richness of the white chocolate.



                 Rina and I couldn't resist giving their savory donut, the Mona Pisa a shot. Though it sounded a little strange, we actually liked it. Sweet tomato sauce is drizzled on the donut and topped with little bits of sausage on top. The thought of a "Pizza Donut" sounded strange at first, but one bite will dispel any doubts you may have. It's pretty darn good.. It tastes like a pizza with a slightly sweeter crust.  




            J.Co's selection of donuts is very impressive and creative, and the more important part, absolutely delicious. 

WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES, J. CO'S!

           A funny thing happened to us at J. Co's when we were there. When Rina was taking her finally pictures of the place, one of their Indonesian national staff started signalling to her "no" and saying "Sorry! Sorry!", clearly meaning that photography was not allowed. Rina was oblivious though, and didnt notice the guy. The manager, (I think her name was Rose) saw what was happening and in turn started signalling to the staff that taking pictures was allowed, and the Indonesian national apologized to Rina, but again, Rina didn't notice hehe. 

            Since those were the last pictures Rina needed, we packed our stuff and went to the outside to take pictures of the exterior. Apparently, the manager must have thought we stormed out, because seconds later she came through the door to apologize if we were offended by the Indonesian dude, because in his country, picture taking isn't allowed in the store, but here in the Philippines, they welcome it.

           We told her that we totally understood and were not offended at all. The man wasn't rude (like the itchbay from Toast Box was), and he was just doing his job, and to think nothing of it. As unnecessary as her gesture was, we still appreciated her coming out to talk to us, and showing genuine concern for our feelings. She handled herself gracefully and courteously, unlike the Itchbay from Toast Box. Did I mention her already? hehe


           I forgot to mention that they also have "Baby Donuts" sorta like their version of Dunkin Donuts Munchkins, only a lot more awesome. 


PIX
             


         Chaikka ordered the "Black Jack'

 

Don also ordered the Copa Banana, 
and liked it enough to keep his eyes open for a picture

46 comments:

  1. Awwwman been hearing tons of people talk about JCo but I've yet to try it! Definitely trying that Alcapone when I do then!

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    1. quite yummy, EJ! P42 each isn't far off from Krispy Kreme either..

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  2. No dinner tonight + reading this blog post = one hungry mama, haha! These are the times I wish I'm back in Manila . . .food tripping!

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  3. Awww, I wish it would just open in Alabang already! I wanna get my hands on those pretty little things! :)

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    1. The next one opening is in MOA and Greenbelt, Guia :)

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  4. not really a fan of donuts but will still try this one out! :) I'll definitely have the Blue Berrymore! :)

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  5. We just tried it yesterday! Funny thing was, when my mom had her first bite of the Alcapone, all she said was, "it's really good". And she's not huge on sweet stuff, so that's saying something. I could say that they do have an interesting take on donut flavors. It was just unfortunate though that their Cheezy donut (forget what it's called exactly) wasn't available since they didn't have the shell donut. But they had 4 on display! :|

    They have a bunch of nice employees, although it was a bit hard communicating with the the Indonesian nationals, since I guess I was speaking too fast. Haha! I can't wait to gobble what we bought. Wheee! :)

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    1. I tried the cheese one, but didn't like it so much.. or maybe its because I was so full from the big meal i just had and the 6 other donuts I ate before that..

      hehe

      I agree with the Indonesian nationals.. they were very pleasant but a bit difficult to understand.

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    2. Haha! That might be it. And they said that the Cheezy donut was on an order basis (the like), so when you order it, that's the time they'll bake it.

      Yeah! When I was pointing out the donuts I wanted and telling them how many, they passed me on to a Kababayan. Ho wells!

      I tried their coffee too. The Jcoccino was too foamy for my liking, but the Hazelnut latte was okay. I suggest giving the Cappuccino Avocado a shot. It may seem weird when you think about, but when you take a sip, it's refreshing and interesting. :)

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    3. Karen you should make a food blog in case you don't have one yet!

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    4. Wah! You're too nice, Sir Richie! :D

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  6. Hopefully I get to finally tr J.Co this week.. :D I really like their donut names.. haha.. ^^

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  7. My mom brought home a box of these babies last Friday and my siblings and i were so ecstatic--too ecstatic that we all got hold of our phones (all at the same time) and took pictures and posted them on twitter and instagram! I love tiramisu and yes, the Al Capone is to die for =)

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    1. the family that posts food pix together, stays together!!

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  8. I love J.Co donuts!! We particularly loved the J.Pops because we can have more flavors we wanted. I can't wait to try their other flavors, particularly the Mona Pisa.

    And funny story about the picture-taking bit. We're glad J.CO is one of those photographer-friendly stores. :)

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    1. Me too, Mhel! It's a really nice place din pa naman.. what a waste if you can't take pix inside hehe :)

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  9. I just dropped by their place a while ago and bought their baby donuts so that I could taste all of 'em! (With my meager starter income, I couldn't afford the 2 dozen big ones. Boohoo. HAHA! JK) But there, I have yet to finish all small 24 bite-sized treats (I could actually finish ALL of them in one sitting but I was minding my health all of a sudden LOL). So I'm still on my way to finding my favorite. Haha! XD

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  10. Damn you got a lot of donuts! I will go there this weekend I swear! :D

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    1. haha i know! Im paying for it now though.. my shirts have been feeling a lot more tight fit then usual..

      btw, im I gonna see you at Best Food Forward?

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  11. Correct me If im wrong, when tried on ordering heaven berry and the other donut, parang manipis yung dough? Gulat nga ko, pero the filling, sobrang sarap diba?

    sino dyan pwede ko makahati ng worth 2 dozens para mas lower ang bayaran nating 1 dozen donut. hehehe....

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    1. Mr. Jerry, mine seemed ok naman, but yes, the filling of my blue berrymore was quite excellent!

      haha if we're pooling our resources to buy donuts,count me in!!

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  12. I've read a lot of J.Co blog posts the past week and they all made me envious, this post included. I have sweet tooth and I wanna try some of those J.Co donuts, too! Must go to Megamall this week! I hope they open a branch in MOA soon, para mas malapit sakin. :)

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    1. Share your post here when you visit them.. The Alcapone is definitely a must try :)

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  13. j.co donut one of the best donut for me,,,but their crews or staff in mega mall sobrang bastos they are not nice to the costumers,,given na mahaba un pila and wala ng donuts sa lahat ng trays one of the costumer asked them miss may donut pa bang lalabas? she answered back na pasigaw at nagulat lahat ng nakapila "WALA mamaya pa"..with matching make face on the side...the lady asked the crew agen,ano yang mga naka prepare na donut dyan sa gilid?MAMAYA pa yan...na pasigaw at galit nanaman...nag titinginan na un mga naka pila na grabe naman sumagot ang bastos...they are ryt,pwede naman sabihin nila na maam sir sorry wait lang po medyo naubusan tayo ng donuts bla bla bla..kaso kung maka sigaw un crew kala mo humihingi kami ng FREE taste,,,dapat kung mag susungit sya duon sya sa KITCHEN or sa palengke nakaka hiya sa mga customers nila..and if u happened to drop by at j.cos mega mall look for joanna..sya un crew na bastos atleast aware lang kayo,,,ang dami na den nag blog sakanila ng ganito,,hope the management will put actions to their staffs.

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    1. wow that's horrible, Chu! Swerte si Joanna hindi ako yung binastos.. baka makatikim siya sa akin ng "flying tray" sa mukha hehe

      Thankfully I didn't have anything close to that experience.. The manager, in fact, went out of her way to make sure we didn't feel offended at all!

      I'll keep an eye out though the next time I go :)

      Thanks again for the heads up, Chu!

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  14. Hi! after reading your post about J.Co just made my cravings wild. hahaha I was just a bit surprised that their Greenbelt branch is not yet opened. Naunahan pa sila na Megamall? Also, I was able to drop by their Megamall branch, grabe lang ang pila. Mala-blockbuster! Kulang ang chairs nila to accommodate the customers. Anyway, I hope I'll be able to try their donuts soon :)

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    1. we made sure we were there early just to make sure we avoided the long lines.. which is a pet peeve of mine hehe.. I really wanted the greenbelt branch to open soon because it's near my office!

      Hope you enjoy the donuts as much as I did!

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  15. was about to buy 2 dozen doughnuts the other day, I asked the server to have the other dozen split into 2 small boxes so that I can give them to my friends. He told me that it is not allowed and that I should buy the half dozen which is 230 pesos. I also talked to the supervisor on duty and she said that it is company policy as they are pricing it per box. If I buy 2 half dozen doughnuts that is equal to 460 pesos, and they sell a dozen doughnuts at 350 and 2 dozen at 550 pesos. I would pay 810 just so that I can have my dozen doughnuts and 2 others as giveaways, paying 260 pesos more just for those 2 small boxes? If the doughnuts came in a tupperware or some other expensive material I would understand. I ended up not buying at all coz I was so pissed off.

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    1. wow.. Yeah I would be ticked off too!

      Those rules don't make sense hehe

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  16. I included some of your J.CO pics here: http://sweetbusinessmath.blogspot.com/2012/06/three-inspiring-and-mouth-watery.html#comment-form

    I hope you won't mind. I do not wish to create any copyright infringement that's why I credited you and posted a link to your blog :)

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  17. Just tried it recently and I love love love it! The newly opened Greenbelt branch is always packed with people, that they always run out of donuts. My personal favorite is oreology.

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    1. I'm so glad they opened their greenbelt branch already! its near my office! hehe

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  18. Haaay! Can't wait to sink my teeth into those donuts! I'm 5wks on the way and you just increased my cravings. I'll go to megamall bukas na bukas din! Hahaha!

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  19. May i know what time J.Co in moa opens? Is it open by 8 in thr morning? Thanks!

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  20. Hi, would you know if they do delivery?


    Thanks! :)

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  21. How to not fall in line at J.Co Stores? Read my blog.
    Phone Order!! - All Branch's Numbers here >> http://dubiouslexicon.blogspot.com/2013/01/J.Co-Donuts-philippines-branch-phone-numbers.html

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  22. fyi: black forest cakes (or other pastries that are made to taste like one) should really have that strong taste. i believe you're referring to the cherry liqueur. it's supposed to taste like that to cut the sweetness of the chocolate. without it, it's just another chocolate pastry.

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    1. Yep, I'm aware that the liqueur is what sets it apart from different cakes, and is exactly why I have a dislike for anything "black forest".

      I guess i'm better off just ordering chocolate pastry hehe :)

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  23. dapatkan keuntungan ratusan juta setiap hari dengan bergabung bersama situs resmi terpercaya SARANAPELANGI

    ReplyDelete

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