In Brooklyn, $100 Gold-Leafed Donuts Are in High Demand

Photo via Manila Social Club/Instagram

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Manila Social Club, a trendy new Korean spot at 2 Hope St. in Williamsburg’s cozy center, created the ultimate Brooklyn delicacy for the 2015-16 holiday season: the Golden Cristal Ube Donut, a $100 gold-flaked donut with ube (purple yam) filling and Cristal champagne frosting.

Then the thing reportedly got so popular that Manila had to re-stock ingredients for the rest of 2016.

“There has been enough interest that we will continue to [be] creating this donut throughout the year,” Björn DelaCruz, the restaurant’s head chef and founder, told First We Feast in an interview.

Although DelaCruz declined to specify exactly how many of the $100 gold-leafed donuts he’s sold so far, he hinted they’re in high demand. “There are still emails I have to get back to about where we deliver them,” he told the food blog.

“When you do order doughnuts from us — anywhere in the Tristate area and all the five boroughs — I will deliver them myself,” he said. “I understand you’re spending money on this. I want you to know it’s not just my assistant making these. I take pride in this, and to me it’s a piece of art.”

DelaCruz also insisted that the choice to ice his Golden Cristal Ube Donut with Cristal champagne — a brand synonymous with opulence — was based on flavor, not flash.

“The reason I chose Cristal over another type of champagne is because Cristal has really great honey notes which goes great with ube,” he said, adding: “There was a time when I was eating this doughnut while drinking Cristal, and I was like, ’Oh, this is a great combo!’”

Read DelaCruz’ full interview at First We Feast. And a hat tip to Free Williamsburg for the find.