Cream or Cruller

The latest venture by Chef Ryota Hirako, the creative culinary mind behind I’m donut?, brings his sweet creations to the streets of Shibuya.

The concept for this store comes from the idea of “making it easy for anyone to enjoy freshly made sweets”.

What’s Cream or Cruller?

Is it a donut or is it a pastry? Well, a cruller is technically both but neither at the same time. A cruller is a piece of deep-fried twisted dough, topped with sugar. At Cream or Cruller, there are two types of crullers available — the original and the cacao.

What makes Cream or Cruller stand out is in the name — yes, you don’t just get the cruller, but also some cream to dip it in. There are three types of cream available: custard, framboise, and pistachio. Notably, there’s also a seasonal option — at the time of writing, the seasonal cream was yogurt.

Prices start from ¥150 (for one original cruller) and go up to ¥1,800 (for 10 cruller). You can always mix and match — which we highly recommend. There is an additional cost for the creams, which range from ¥200 to ¥350. Please note, these prices exclude tax.

If you get the box of ten, this is where the novelty comes in. You can transform your box into a dipping tray, placing your three chosen creams into the designated slots. The creativity comes from trying different combinations. This writer’s personal favorite? The original dipped in the pistachio cream — dreamy.

Each cruller is freshly prepared in-store (and additive-free), meaning you get the warm, airy, and cripsy goodness of the cruller if eaten straight away. It’s best to enjoy them as soon as possible, but if not, no problem — just pop them in the microwave.

Note: As of now, this is a takeout store only. However, right next to the store is Shibuya Kitaya Park, where you can sit and enjoy your crunchy treats.

How to get there

This takeout store is located on one of the quieter streets of Shibuya nearer to Harajuku. It’s about a 8-minute walk from Shibuya Station. It’s also accessible from Harajuku Station, being a 14-minute walk or 5-minute bus ride (on Hachiko Bus for ¥100) from Harajuku.

by Jane Pipkin