As previously stated, I very much like bagels and was disappointed to have to farewell The Great Bagel & Coffee Company when I stopped working at Bondi Junction. It was a most convenient location to get what I felt were fairly authentic bagels in a range of styles with a variety of cream cheeses and toppings on offer as well. They also did good coffee which was an added bonus, but I believe this particular outlet has since closed down.
So when the opportunity came up to lunch with Monsieur Poisson and Kiki at Macquarie Centre, The Great Bagel & Coffee Company’s outlet there immediately sprang to mind. Although the filled bagels aren’t cheap – neither are fresh sandwiches these days, for that matter – I hadn’t had one in absolutely ages and there was just an empty spot that I had to fill.
Kiki has the ‘Thai Beef Bagel’ which turns out to be the tastiest out of the lot. The beef is well-flavoured, tender and juicy. The warm beef works well with the grilled capsicum and peppery rocket on the toasted plain bagel.
Monsieur Poisson orders the ‘Bacon and Avocado Bagel’ which has lots of chunky bits of iceberg lettuce. Although it is nice, there’s nothing terribly special about the combination held together by the wholegrain bagel.
As for me, my choice is a bit of a no-brainer: ‘Smoked Salmon Bagel’ on a poppyseed bagel. Smoky, salty salmon sitting on cool, smooth cream cheese with thin rings of red onion and sprigs of crunchy snow pea sprouts – a combination that I simply will not tire of.
To share between us, we order a serve of their ‘Curly Fries with Morrocan Seasoning’. The curly fries are something that I’ve always wanted to try but never had a chance as I’m normally full after a filled bagel anyway. Some of the slinky-like rings aren’t fully separated after cooking so they’re not as crisp as the ones that are, however the Moroccan seasoning is very addictive and keeps you returning your fingers to the bowl for more.
The Great Bagel & Coffee Company
Macquarie Centre, Shop 444, Cnr Herring Rd & Waterloo Rd, North Ryde NSW
Tel: (02) 9888 1900
Opening Hours: Mon-Wed 9am-5:30pm
Thurs 9am-9pm
Fri & Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 10am-4pm
happy eating!
I love curly fries! Woo! I used to go to Macquarie Centre a lot when I lived out that way; it was one of my haunts. :)
ReplyDeleteWow how appropriate was this post. Since leaving NYC and enjoying the most amazing bagel at Russ & Daughters, I am now on the search for Sydney's best bagel (but just the bagel, not filled). You have me drooling over the smoked salmon one this Sunday morning, sigh.........
ReplyDeleteI love bagels! And curly fries!!
ReplyDeleteThe beef one does look very good and I always like bagels with lots of filling as they can be so densely thick otherwise! :D
ReplyDeletedo try the lamb bagel, i'm quite fond of that one. and i love that moroccan seasoning.....
ReplyDeleteHey Joey, there's just not enough places that sell curly fries!
ReplyDeleteHey Sara, friends came back from NYC recently and concurred that the bagels there are the best they've ever had. I've tried the fantastic Glick's in Melbourne, but haven't been to the store at Bondi in Sydney...soon, I hope!
Hey missklicious, I was introduced to bagels and have been in luuurve ever since =D
Hey Lorraine, the juicy beef one was great with a dense bagel!
Hey Panda, oooh...must try to remember the lamb one for next time. That Moroccan seasoning is sweet and savoury and so addictive!
I'm sure I'll never find bagels here as good as the many I devoured in Montreal, but perhaps I should get over this snobbery and actually give some a try. Have you attempted to make your own? It looks like fun! Huge potential for failure I think, but fun nonetheless :D
ReplyDeleteHey Conor, the news I'm hearing is that the best bagels are found in New York but I'm thinking anywhere with a dense Jewish population is a safe bet. Haven't tried making my own but my friend has and they looked pretty good! Maybe not as hard as you think =)
ReplyDelete