Fancy A 24 Carat Golden Doughnut For $100?

Fancy a 24 carat golden doughnut for $100? A+ for creativity, good business innovation!  

DelaCruz’s family-run restaurant, which he operates with the help of his brother and sister, has turned into what he calls “a literal extension of our household.”

The restaurant features elevated homestyle dishes that mesh elements of his Filipino background with a metropolitan, NYC sensibility. One of the dishes that epitomizes this idea is Manila Social Club’s Golden Cristal Ube Donut, filled with ube mousse, decorated with champagne frosting, and leafed in 24-karat gold.

Since DelaCruz posted a picture of it on IG a week ago, the hundred dollar doughnut has surged in popularity, prompting belt-notching New Yorkers to allegedly order them by the dozen. What inspired him to make such a luxe dessert, why Cristal frosting pairs well with purple yam, and the future of Filipino food.

DelaCruz said that…….

“We have this doughnut program where we make doughnuts every Friday, and you can only order them online on Thursday. The reason why we do this is because we’re not a doughnut shop. The Golden Cristal Ube Donut came along because there is a brewery in Bushwick called Braven Brewery, and we know the owners Marshall and Erik. We both started our businesses around the same time. We had a doughnut event where I unveiled a doughnut with icing made with Braven White IPA, dusted with gold. That was the beginning of the golden doughnut [idea].

The reason that gold leaf and Cristal were added was because I love all different champagnes. I wanted to add something [to the menu] for the new year to celebrate how long we have been going. I didn’t know people would go and order a dozen [of these] at a time! But then again, it is New York, and there are people willing to put down a grand for a dozen doughnuts.”