Last Saturday I braved the pouring rain at an ungodly hour of the morning to visit our latest Gastown treat-peddler,
, who have set up a pop-up shop in the Hotel Pennsylvania, at the corner of Hastings and Carrall. The donuts have been selling out as quickly as they can bring them in, so I thought I had better go bright and early to make sure I got the donuts I wanted! Lucky for Cartems (but unlucky for me), they had been
featured in the Globe and Mail
that same day, so they were already low on stock by the time I got there, about 20 minutes after opening.
Some of the donuts on offer at the pop-up shop.
I told proprietor Jordan Cash, who was greeting everyone with a smile, while serving
and
working the cash desk, that I was interested in sampling all the flavours he had on offer that day (there were 5). I bought a half dozen, to share with my pals Zach and Ryan at the Juice Truck. As he put my box together, Jordan explained that many of their ingredients are sourced locally, and that the donuts are fried in coconut oil, which is a healthier choice (as far as deep fried baked goods go). Since there were 5 flavours and I was buying 6 donuts, I asked which donut flavour I should double up on, and Jordan suggested I take 2 of the Earl Grey, which features Earl Grey tea from Granville Island Tea company and fresh local mallow flowers.
Clockwise from top left: Triple Chocolate Threat, Sweet Snow, The Bee Sting, Earl Grey x 2, The Classic
Over at the Juice Truck, Zach, Ryan and I chopped up the donuts and had a bit of a taste test. We all enjoyed the Sweet Snow, a coconut confection with a white chocolate glaze. The Triple Chocolate Threat, with chocolate ganache and chocolate pearls, was almost too rich for words. The Classic had a really rich white vanilla glaze which was almost crunchy - I had been expecting something more like a traditional honey glazed donut and this was too heavy and icing-laden to really qualify. Ryan wasn't brave enough to try the Bee Sting, a honey donut with parmesan and black pepper. Zach and I thought it tasted like a fancy sandwich. We called it the "Lunch Donut." By far, though, our favourite was the Earl Grey - a really distinctive flavour that will likely put Cartems on the map. We all thought the texture of the donuts was great - not too heavy, a little more cake-y than your average Tim Hortons donut, and hand-rolled.
Cartems' logo combines the 3 elements of Jordan's vision for the brand: donuts, smiles and conversation.
These babies are 3 dollars a pop, and Jordan seemed almost apologetic about that as he explained the donuts to customers. I don't think he
should
be apologetic - these donuts can't even remotely be seen to be competing with frozen Tim Hortons old-fashioneds, and so they should cost more. We think nothing now of dropping $3 on a fancy cupcake (or macarons, which are the new cupcake), so why not a handrolled, premium-ingredient donut? I think the price point is more than justified by the quality of the product.
Today my friends Duncan and Rebecca came to visit and brought me a Flourless Bouquet from Cartems - their gluten-free donut with a berry tea glaze. Hot damn, was that donut good. Probably my favourite of the whole bunch. The glaze was not too rich, almost yogurt-y, and the texture of the donut was amazing - moist and cakey. We have a winner!
Cartems is located at 408 Carrall Street, and is open daily from 10 - 3 (11 - 3 on Saturday). You can also order
for bicycle delivery. Welcome to the 'hood, Cartems! We hope you'll stay awhile!