Tucked away into a nondescript corner mall, just west of the Besta Wan (see hwlermnky's Cardiff journal),is this award-winning bakery. It's been a locals' favorite since it opened in 1969. The VG stands for "very good," and that's what their creations, especially their donuts,are; I prefer them by far to Krispy Kreme, currently the favorite here because some supermarkets like Staters have started to stock them daily. Like the Besta Wan, this business is now staffed by the third generation of the family that established it. Continuity is a Cardiff characteristic.

Introduced to this "fixture" by our son, who wanted a dessert after we'd had the Tuesday night lasagna special at the Besta Wan, I succumbed to their bavarian cream donuts (although I had to wait a few hours till I had room to consume them). The sheer variety and, above all, freshness of their donuts has established the VG as the place to go for morning donuts and coffee before you hit the beach.They open at 5 a.m., and donuts are baked at 4 a.m. They also bake around midnight; this is a hard-working family! During the week, they're open till 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, they close early at 7 p.m. And, they're open summer Sundays. These long opening hours accommodate the surfers who are steady customers at this business, as well as others who just get an urge for their donuts;on the sidewalk in front under shade there's a few tables to sit and eat, and there's some tables inside too. It's hard to wait before you eat their fruit-filled goodies. They have added a small sandwich take-out counter in the left-hand corner of their establishment. This features decent, cheap sandwiches to take to the beach only 2 blocks away.

Scrumptious as their donuts are, their cakes are something else altogether.They cater weddings, baking the cake on the morning of the wedding day, and they specialize in concocting custom-decorated cakes for all special occasions.To satisfy the daily horde, VG bakes its donuts twice a day; they really mean it when they say their donuts are always fresh.Their muffins, rolls, cookies, pastries, and breads are quite fresh too, because they have a steady clientele. hey'll even deliver a large order of their temptations if you call them at 753-2400.They accept cash, check, or travellers checks, but no plastic. By the way, the cost of the two "fruit creations" in the picture was $2.98 +tax.