The Mister Donut branch closest to where I live promised to put out the chain's new collaborative doughnuts with French baker Pierre Herme at noon. Minutes beforehand, a big line had already formed — it seems this is 2020's first chain-created dessert hit.
This partnership has produced six fancy-pants doughnuts (although only four were available when I went in). A couple of them are just upgraded versions of Mister Donut staples, including a Satine Old-Fashioned doughnut covered in a cheese cream mousse and an orange-meets-passion-fruit topping. That one (¥183 after tax) has a nice tart flavor, although it could use a little more of that fruity topping.
Far better — and what the folks lined up made a beeline for — are the chocolate doughnuts. These sweets (ranging from ¥237 to ¥248 after tax) combine rich chocolate with either caramel or orange and raspberry fruit flavors. When the latter two elements are in balance, the end result is a nice combo of sweet and tart, making it worth the wait.