Nareo Donut — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Taman Paramount’s latest attempt to reinvent fried dough is already pulling in sweet-toothed pilgrims from across PJ. The shop is Nareo Donut, founded by Shih Sheng, who spent seven years frying dough in Melbourne’s Shortstop Coffee & Donuts. He came back with pastry school credentials, Aussie café swagger, and the belief that Malaysia deserved better donuts. So yes, there’s pedigree here.

The name itself is a mash-up of Naarm (Melbourne) and Eora (Sydney). Cute, but nobody cares; people are here for donuts. On most days, they pump out 300 pieces. On weekends, blink and the shelves are empty. These are brioche-style, plump as baby cheeks, filled and glazed with the kind of flavours that would make Krispy Kreme blush. All pretty enough to Instagram, rich enough to make you consider a second mortgage.

The mandarin yuzu is the star of the show, crowned with a meringue cap torched to look like it just came back from Langkawi. Tangy, light, sharp enough to wake you from a sugar coma. The matcha cheesecake is mild, earthy, slightly bitter. The donut equivalent of someone in black turtlenecks quoting Murakami.

Coconut kaya is a sugar grenade. Some love it, others call it a dental bill waiting to happen. Tiramisu, though, might be the sleeper hit. Cocoa dusting, mascarpone, and yes, a lone biscuit soaked in espresso. And then there’s basil tomato. A savoury detour in dessert land, cream cheese laced with herbs and tomato jam. It sounds like someone lost a bet in the kitchen, but it works. Like a pizza and a donut decided to raise the kid together.

The donuts aren’t perfect. Some folks swear they’re pillowy; others grumble they’re dense, oily, and cost about the same as a meal in the hawker store. It all depends if you think “chewy” is a compliment or a crime. Coffee here’s solid—beans are from Curate, flat whites good enough to almost justify the price tag. Pasta’s also on the menu for some reason.

The shop itself is airy, Scandinavian-clean. Blonde wood, white counters, and a glass case of donuts lined up like soldiers, the kind of place where flat whites come with latte art and you half expect someone to whip out a laptop to write a screenplay. Staff are cheerful, sometimes suspiciously so, the kind of cheer that makes you wonder if they’re getting paid in powdered sugar.

Nareo Donut attracts a certain crowd, the ones who chase flavour the way others chase love. Prices are steep so you’ll either call it “artisanal” and walk out a believer, ready to write break-up letters to J.Co, or curse under your breath about paying rent for four bites of fried dough. Either way, it’s dessert....

I tend to eat my donuts pretty fast, but over here, I have learned to savor them.

Nareo Donut has been an absolute pleasure and surprise as a dining experience. The store is just so damn pleasant, warm, and inviting that you cannot help but smile as soon as you walk through the door.

After you hear the bells announcing your coming in, you’re greeted with the pleasant aromas of good donuts and some gentle (elevator?) music that just adds to the whimsy of the place!

I tried two donuts, the Tiramisu and the Boston Cream. While I adored the Tiramisu, I must gush over the Boston Cream.

I have been a lifelong fan of the Boston Cream donut. Something about putting chocolate, cream, and dough invites me to think of better times and better places. (When and where exactly? Who cares! It just takes me to somewhere that is happy.)

I can happily report that Nareo Donut has now set the new standard for what a Boston Cream donut should be. I got to see firsthand how they prepare these donuts. The chocolate top is lovingly spread by hand. The cream filling is generous. And oh boy, let me tell you about the taste.

This is the first chocolate spread where I could experience a granular sensation from the chocolate spread. The vanilla bean is visible in the cream, and my god, this is the best cream filling I’ve had in my life! Smooth, delightful, the perfect sweetness.

We frequently say that we can die knowing that we’ve had the best of something. With the donuts they make at Nareo, I’m happy to say that I found another new thing to keep living for. I’m excited to see what they come up with next, and to be delighted over and over again by their craft.

Thank you for being another beacon for gastronomical delights in Malaysia, Nareo! I look forward to returning here many more times for the...

I rarely have doughnuts in Malaysia because they are either too oily, too sweet or too chewy. The doughnuts at Naero however, are precisely the kind of doughnuts I imagine people would propose to on one knee. They have mastered the simple yet complicated art of making a very good basic dough that is fried into a fluffy pillow of golden brown goodness that isn’t greasy. At Naero Donuts, the plain doughnut and toppings harmonise to offer an exquisite first bite that sends your tastebuds on a trip to a place that is happier than DisneyLand, which is what most doughnut places fail to do.

The Tiramisu doughnut is my pick, totally not because I’m biased and would have it injected into my veins if I could, but simply because it is a very, very delicious doughnut. The Tiramisu is made in-store daily and piped into the doughnut before being glazed in melted chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. The doughnut has a strong coffee body that does not leave any unpleasant aftertaste and slight hints of the creamy mascarpone cheese, each dreamy bite closing with a bittersweet chocolate outro that makes you crave another bite. Despite the Tiramisu probably not being the most authentic, it is good enough to trick me into thinking that I can speak Italian fluently more than any amount of Duolingo lessons could.

The Tiramisu doughnut at Naero has made it evident that the key to making a good doughnut really is pretty straightforward, just master the basics and don’t overcomplicate the process. If you ever make visit to the store for some doughnuts, I hope that it will offer you a peace of mind by not overcomplicating the thoughts swarming your head, and trust that the outcome will be just fine. Naero might make me a donut fan after all, and it might just be the best donut in Malaysia...