Like any JAP (Jewish American Princess) transplant that finds herself in a new city, discovering a good manicure and bagel were first on my hit list. While there is an over-abundance of nail salons, I’ve only found one bagel shop that is up New York standards, if not better. BKK Bagel Bakery would satisfy even the neurosis of Woody Allen when it comes to a non-Manhattan bagel.
Owners Eric Seldin, an American, and his Thai friend Tri Kanchanadul longed for the “schmear” and bagels that they had devoured in the US. After much sampling of what the locals had to offer in bagel form, the two decided to go for it and take a bite into the bagel business in March 2011. The next essential step was the addition of food chemist and culinary chef Brock Kuhlman, who wanted to add some chutzpah to the bakery.“ I wanted to take it a little further and make it Jewey so I added liver and onions, salmon, and tongue to the menu,” says Brock.
While the bakery offers the comfort of the usuals like onion, cinnamon raisin, and poppy seed (all THB35), Kuhlman and his crew have also blended local Thai cream cheese with fresh produce to create unique flavorful “schmears” such as olive, garlic and dill, and lebenah (all THB 35). “Most of our fresh produce is from a few organic farmers, so 80 per cent of our produce is organic,” he says.
While some bagel shops believe it’s blasphemous to toast their yeasty dough rings, Brock believes that people should “do what they want with their bagels” and offers this piece of advice: “If you are eating a day old bagel, you should toast it, but I prefer to eat mine fresh.”
While it is common belief that the reason New York bagels are so amazing is due to the local water, Brock debunks this myth. He says the secret to a perfect bagel is the hardness of the flour (BKK Bagel Bakery uses high-protein flour from a Thai mill whose wheat originates from Australia) and boiling the bagels from 45 seconds to a minute before being baked.
It is truly is a “Sunrise, Sunset” operation as the four nighttime bakers start at 9pm and finish at 4am, just in time for deliveries to start going out a 5:30am. Including wholesale (BKK Bagel Bakery supplies the US Embassy), they make over 300 bagels a day. “When we started the majority of our customers were farang, but now it’s more like 50/50, probably slightly tilted to Thais who have spent time in the US,” says Brock.
The BKK Bakery is also notorious for their creative and decadent bagel sandwiches. If I’m feeling reminiscent of my college days spent hungover in New York’s Murray’s Bagels, I opt for the Lox, Stock, and Bagel (THB195) which consists of homemade cured salmon, plain cream cheese, tomato, and red onion served open face of your bagel of choice. If I really want to go all out and have the closest experience to diner deliciousness, the Tuna Melt (THB225) served with melted Gruyere is great.
Every month, the bakery offers a special sandwich, this month it’s the Vietnam-inspired Banh Mi (THB225) that is comprised of tender roast pork shoulder that has been marinated in fish sauce and palm sugar, liver pate, garlic and black pepper terrine, pickled radish and carrot slaw, cilantro, and house-fermented chili garlic sauce.
BKK Bagel Bakery keeps the local Jews happy by making Challah and also indulging in holiday treats like cinnamon doughnuts accompanied by kaffir lime and apple jelly.
The BKK Bagel Bakery has plans to open a second location this year and a third and a fourth in the next 2 years, making any Bubby proud.
BKK Bagel Bakery
518/3 Maneeya Center, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330
Phone : +662-254-8157
Email : info@bkkbagelbakery.com
Facebook: BKK Bagel Bakery
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