They look like cartoon food. They taste like it, too. Have you met the mochi doughnut yet?
They’ve been trendy in the U.S. for a couple of years, but Dragon Mochi Donuts is the first place in NoVA to taste the sweets made with rice flour. Dragon opened in June inside K Market in Annandale. According to the Annandale Blog, another mochi doughnut source, national chain Mochinut, will open soon, also in Annandale’s East Gate Shopping Center.
Pity the two other dessert vendors inside K Market’s food court. Both lay primed for a customer to bless them with some attention, but at noon on a recent weekday, the line at Dragon just seemed to grow. Despite that, orders came out quickly. I was soon in possession of something I’d been craving for years. They didn’t look real. I had to take in their sugary aroma to remind myself that this wasn’t an odd foodie daydream.
The teething ring shape is convenient for sharing–just grab a mochi ball and devour. But like potato chips, it’s almost impossible to eat just one. That’s because of the pillowy softness, much lighter than unfried mochi, and in fact, closer to yeast doughnut, but with an irresistible hint of chewiness.
The flavors at Dragon are also worthy of bite after bite. The best of the four that I tried was the black sesame, topped with the real thing, as well as a sweet wash of nutty glaze. Ube also really tasted like the purple yam that inspired its lavender hue. Matcha grew on me, but it wasn’t easy to locate naturally subtle flavor. The Thai tea was the least appealing of the quartet, with a hint of milky sweetness and little more.
Shared at the office, the balls of fried mochi disappeared quickly. Lesson learned: There are a dozen flavors available each day. Always get a dozen.
4239 John Marr Dr., Annandale
Feature image by Mike Ramm
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