U Jelly? U should be!

★★★★★

It pains me to say that my latest donut adventure marks the penultimate post of my column, but I can at least say that it was a tasty end to my journey! Just like my experience with writing this biweekly column, my journey to U Jelly was long, but rewarding. With the store located in Fountain Valley, you will probably have to find a way to drive down there instead of Ubering or using public transportation. It sounds like a hassle, but after seeing pictures you’ll know it’s worth it.

Walking in on the right, you’ll see a white wall with a painting of a donut and a phrase you and I know all too well: “Donut Worry, Be Happy,” a.k.a. the name of this column! I know it’s cheesy, but I saw it as a sign (literally) to go there for my final destination. It’s a really small shop, but that lended itself to one of the things I appreciated the most, which was the personalized customer service. Upon walking in, the worker at the cashier immediately greeted me and went down the line describing all of the flavors. She also noticed that I had my camera with me and was planning on taking photos, so she made an effort to pick out the donuts that were decorated the best, which I really appreciated as a foodie!

What I liked the most about these donuts was the unique array of toppings. I was so fascinated by the options, that I actually ended up ordering six donuts because I felt so compelled to try as many as I could. My first decision was an easy one, and that was the mini flan donut. Asides from being absolutely adorable, I fell in love with how well the soft, vanilla taste of the flan blended with the coconut shavings. It didn’t really have any frosting so the dough felt a bit dry, but otherwise, I would say this was my favorite donut.

Because I love all things mini, the next donut I chose to try was the mini cinnamon roll. In my opinion, the only thing that made this donut extra special was the frosting. It tasted a bit more like flavored cream cheese, which I think gave it a richer overall consistency.

I tried the purple taro-flavored donut next because it was one of the most highly-recommended on Yelp, and I was not surprised why it received such good reviews. Compared to the other donuts, this one had a layer of frosting that was a lot softer and almost melted into the equally soft dough.

The oreo donut was my next choice, and I would really like to take a moment to appreciate the detail in each layer of the toppings — from the frosting to the chocolate drizzle to pieces of Oreo Hershey’s. The dough was also really spongy, which I found to be a really interesting twist after trying the other donuts.

My fifth donut (yes, I just said “fifth”) was the matcha-flavored one with a print of Baymax from the movie Big Hero 6. This was a much more simple option, but the matcha flavor still gave it a special taste worth trying.

Last but not least, I ordered the strawberry cream donut hoping that the two small slices of fruit would make up for the six donuts I ordered. I realize it doesn’t work that way, but the taste was good enough to make me forget my guilt. My only wish is that it had more cream, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Whether you decided to order six donuts like I did or just one, I guarantee you will not regret the experience. And if you do decide to indulge on all of the options, I have one piece of advice: Donut Worry, Be Happy!

U Jelly is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays at 16051 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708;

Paulina Ordaz is a freshman majoring in psychology. Her blog column, Donut Worry, Be Happy, runs every other Thursday.