Oakleigh may be buzzing with talk of the new artisan doughnut place that’s reinventing old classics to give us taste sensations we hadn’t imagined, but there’s so much more to come.
Brothers Nic and Yani Kabylakis have been enjoying some notoriety since opening The Oakleigh Doughnut Co in July.
“There are a few doughnut places around but our point of difference is our open kitchen and continuous small batch cooking,” Yani said.
“We don’t cook in bulk and refrigerate. The customer gets super fresh doughnuts, so soft and ready to eat.”
But the hype that has surrounded TODCO, as the brothers call it, is about more than the cooked-fresh approach; it’s about the flavours.
“We like to call them new classics,” Yani said.
“Essentially we are crafting cultural flavours into new age doughnuts. We have given the flavours of childhood a modern twist.”
Quirkish Delight anyone? Or how about bakladough, strawberry cheesecake or Oreo creme?
The strawberry cheesecake doughnut from The Oakleigh Doughnut Co. Image: Facebook.
There are six creative cooks in the kitchen at the Portman Street store, which was already famous for its Five Senses coffee.
While most doughnut purchases are take-out, you can still grab a seat, order a coffee and try a doughnut.
“Take away is the biggest market for the doughnuts,” Yani said.
“Our research before we started showed that people prefer to grab a box of doughnuts and take them home to enjoy.”
If, by chance, you have already tried the 21 varieties that have been delighting Oakleigh shoppers, the brothers are fired up with more ideas for recreating traditional cultural flavours for the modern foodie.
While Oakleigh has a large Greek population, TODCO has taken broader, international influences and there are no borders on the doughnut taste fest the brothers love to create.
“I have an idea for Asian flavours – a doughnut with matcha green tea or dragon tea infusions… we’ll see,” Yani said.
We can’t wait.
The salted caramel doughnut from The Oakleigh Doughnut Co. Image: Facebook.
Visit the store
36 Portman St, Oakleigh
Phone: (03) 9569 8172
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily – or until the doughnuts run out.
All images thanks to The Oakleigh Doughnut Co (via Facebook).
