Cartems Donuterie - Vancouver, BC

After seeing an article in the Metro News and Inside Vancouver about a new pop up donut shop in Gastown called Cartems Donuterie, the Piglets had to check them out.  The donuts are hand made, fried in coconut oil and the ingredients are fresh, organic, sustainable and locally sourced whenever possible. Eggs? Richmond. Flour? Chilliwack. Butter? Maple Ridge. Milk? Burnaby. Spices? Cortes Island. You get the picture.

Cartems doesn't have a permanent spot yet so they've taken over this little corner of Hastings and Carrall.

Pretty barren looking...

And that's not the only thing that's barren.  It's only 1 pm and they are completely sold out.  Actually, according to owner Rajesh, they were sold out within 25 minutes of opening. But guess what?  This little Piglet ordered and paid for her donuts online two days prior on Cartems website so they were nicely boxed and waiting when we arrived. Suckas!

Here they are! There were several varieties including Triple Chocolate Threat (chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, callebaut chocolate pearls), Breakfast (whole wheat, organic figs, honey/agave), Sweet Heat (chocolate cake, organic cinnamon, sugar, spicy chilies) and more. Cartems does the donut justice as they were all very moist, wonderfully fried on the outside (crisp!) and remained quite tasty even several hours later. The favorites are as follow:

Bacon Bourbon Donut

Mr. Piglet: Bacon topped - bacon always wins
Ms. Piglet: Bacon!
Ms. Teddy: Bacon!

Cinnamon Sugar

Mommy Piglet: Cinnamon sugar

Triple Chocolate Threat

Porker: any chocolate is good


Lil Sis Piglet: Meh, they all tasted the same


Bacon always wins and it won in this case because of its strong distinct flavor that set it apart from the others. I must admit that some of the flavors did blend together - all of the chocolate tasted the same despite being different flavors with the same going for two of the white cake-based. It was as if they had differently similar icing and cake flavors. Cartems has original flavors and ideas working here but they just need to refine it so that all of the flavors pop from one another. For example, Sweet Heat in theory is absolutely perfect but when translated, the chocolate completely overwhelmed the spice, so all we were left with was a chocolate donut. A very good chocolate donut, but just a chocolate donut in the end.


Overall: The Piglets appreciate that Cartem's wholly embraces what eating should encompass - excellent ingredients, passion and community - and they should be applauded for that. Their donuts are a healthier version of the normally evil snack and we would return for more, perhaps after they've gone through their growing pains. Their flavor combinations and ingredients are certainly worth the try.  Piglet tip: do an online order at their website to avoid the heartache of the sold out sign at the door.


Pros:

• Organic, sustainable, locally sourced, fried in coconut oil - what more do you want???
• Made fresh everyday
• Very friendly service
• Online orders accepted
• Vegan and gluten-free available
• Free delivery in the downtown core - they deliver by bike!

Cons:

• Pricey at $3 a pop (10% discount if you order online)
• Limited operating hours
• Only pay street parking available - and difficult to find on a Saturday afternoon
• Sold out very quickly - get there right at opening or you're gettin' nuthin'