New donut shop opens in downtown Olympia with Japanese-style pastries
About four months ago an Asian fusion restaurant called Red Lantern expanded to Olympia and opened downtown at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street.
Not only can you get a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes at the eatery, but now donuts as well, owner Tiffany Lin said Tuesday.
Lin and her family operate Red Lantern in Yelm and Olympia, but for the past three years they also have produced a Japanese-style, rice-flour (sometimes referred to as “mochi”) donut through a separate business called Kawaii Donut House.
Some may have already tried the donuts because they have sold them at the Olympia Farmers Market and at other community events, as well as in Yelm.
Now you can get them at Red Lantern downtown. A grand opening for Kawaii Donut House at that location is set for March 25, Lin said.
Her son, Brandon, has played a key role in the business. It was his idea to sell this type of donut, plus he designed the logo and came up with some of the flavors. “Kawaii” means cute in Japanese, but the pronunciation of it also reminds them of Hawaii, a favorite travel destination, said Lin.
Her husband, Hung Pham, helped refine the recipes, she said.
So what’s a mochi donut taste like? Lin said it gives them a lighter, chewier texture. Like all donut shops they come in a variety of flavors, she said.
Those flavors include cinnamon sugar, cookies and cream, strawberry, Nutella, matcha lavender, birthday cake and sometimes coconut, peach and maple. They pair well with bubble tea, which the business also sells, Lin said.
What’s bubble tea? A cold, flavored tea that’s served with tapioca pearls.
The business sells the donuts as singles or in servings of four, six and 12, she said.
The downtown Red Lantern and Kawaii Donut House is at 120 Fifth Ave. SW.
Both are open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays, although there’s a chance the business opens earlier if customer demand for the donuts dictates it, Lin said.
