Many of you know this. I see you roll your eyes as I routinely turn up my nose at Einstein Brothers (terrible) or as I toast my servery bagel to hell in order to render it an edible vehicle for cream cheese. But I come from Bagel-land and was raised on the finest bagels in the world. I cannot deny my roots and pretend to enjoy a lesser product. So when Ashley and I decided to search for the best bagel London has to offer, I admit, I was skeptical we’d find anything to get excited about. Nevertheless, this morning after church, I hopped on the Overground and went to the internet’s most highly recommended London bagel establishment, Beigel Bake on Brick Lane. (As a side note, Brick Lane is SWEET. I got a sweater for 2 pounds. But we’re focusing on bagels.) The place smelled good and had a line of about 15 people—I took both of these things to be good signs. As I waited on line and observed the bagels, I could just tell they were going to be good. I got half a dozen for a pound fifty (!) and one bagel with cream cheese for a pound. So cheap! I left the shop and opened the paper bag that contained the bagel with cream cheese. Any doubts I had were washed away—it was like the ladies behind the Beigel Bake counter knew me. The bagel had THE PERFECT AMOUNT of cream cheese. (And I require quite a bit of cream cheese.) I wanted to savor every bite, but I gobbled this thing down really fast. It was just SO GOOD, the inside so chewy but not doughy, the outside a perfect layer of baked crust, and inside was that wonderful, wonderful cream cheese…I think I’m in love. Here’s the part that I think may amaze you (because it amazes and humbles me). Previously (and perhaps wrongly), when I evaluated a foreign bagel, I decided how good it was based on how close it came to a New York style bagel. But the bagel I ate this morning STANDS ALONE. I don’t know if I’ll go as far to say it’s better than a New York bagel, but something about it is actually really different. The texture is similar, but there’s something about the taste I can’t quite name. So delicious. You’ll all just have to come try one (or two, because they are actually a little small). All I know is that Beigel Bake definitely just became part of my Sunday morning routine.
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| My second bagel, sitting on my favorite Spode Christmas plate. |
