The Great Bagel & Coffee Company, 12 Nov 2009

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!

A week in Melbourne: Glick’s Cakes & Bagels, 10 July 2009

I credit Wifey with introducing me to bagels, albeit the purple-tinged blueberry variety commonly found at mass coffee chains. At first it was the toasted sugary goodness contrasted with cool cream cheese that roped me in, but then I discovered plain bagels, seeded bagels, savoury toppings and flavoured cream cheeses. So when I was in Melbourne I had to pay the well-known Glick’s a visit. Some purists argue that Glick’s is not as good as it used to be but, not being a local, I had no biases.

Staying in Melbourne CBD it was easiest for me to visit their store on Flinders Lane. Glick’s is reputed as a kosher retailer so it was reassuring to see plenty of young Jewish families dining in-store. The staff were also very helpful in packaging cutlery and utensils for a young lady purchasing a kosher lunch for a friend. I, on the other hand, being Asian must have looked interestingly out of place sitting down to a table for one with my bagel.

I ordered a toasted poppyseed bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers and baby spinach. This is my favourite bagel combination but usually without the spinach as most places don’t have it. I’m normally happy for red onion or cucumber slices to offer substituted crunch instead. And although slightly flattened from toasting, I can honestly say this is the best bagel I have ever had – it is chewy but not overly so, has a thin crust, and is doughy and dense but not dry on the inside. The salmon is oily and smoky, the cream cheese smooth and dreamy and the capers offer just the right amount of popping saltiness.

I pick up a few sweet things before leaving Glick’s to visit Anna, and it isn’t until I later check their website that I discover they have a store at Bondi in Sydney. I feel the inkling of a local visit coming on…

Glick’s Cakes & Bagels

325 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC

Tel: (03) 9614 0533

Opening Hours:  Mon-Fri  7:30am-4pm

                        Sat & Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!