Bagel Bagel's Lox Bagelwich

And, for the hundredth time, I made my way back to my favorite bagel shop located at Kemang, Jakarta Selatan, to indulge myself in its' warm and delicious selection of Bagelwich. 

Thanks to my best buddy, Sally, who introduced me to this bagel shop, Bagel Bagel has become the number one bagel shop that I always visit whenever I'm in the mood for some chewy and scrumptious yeasted wheat dough with cream cheese. This bagel shop specialized in Bagelwich and, boy, have I tried various fillings to go with my bagel. I had me the Banana and Caramel Bagelwich (which is no longer produced at the shop, God knows why), the Smoked Beef and Cheese Bagelwich, the Philly Cheese Steak Bagelwich, and the Thai Spicy Chicken Bagelwich. This time, I decided to try something unique, which is the Lox Bagelwich. 

Bagel Bagel's Lox Bagelwich contains a quite generous amount of sliced smoked salmon, a heavy and delightfully savory spread of cream cheese, a couple rings of red onion, and a handful of capers. 

Lox, for those who don't know, is fillet smoked salmon. Compared to those raw salmon that we usually slurp at sushi restaurants, lox tasted less sweet and saltier. The ones that they have at Bagel Bagel was quite odorless, slightly salty, and slightly smoky. The meat was tender and enjoyable, but I have to say that I'm more of a fan of raw salmon more than smoked salmon. 

It was my first time to eat capers. They were sour and tangy. I didn't like them as I don't enjoy pickled veggies much like my Mom does. Without the capers, the Lox Bagelwich tasted pretty bland. All I could taste was the bagel, the poppy seeds, and the cream cheese. I could only find a faint smokiness from the smoked salmon. The red onion didn't do quite much in adding extra flavor to the bagelwich though. 

Clearly, the Lox Bagelwich is not my favorite. My favorite bagelwich from Bagel Bagel is still, and will always be, the Banana Caramel Bagelwich. Too bad they took it out from the menu, I'm not sure why. 

Bagel Bagel

Jalan Benda Raya No. 14D

Kemang 12560

Jakarta Selatan

Phone:

+62 781 8679

Opening Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 7AM - 8PM

Friday - Sunday: 7AM - 9PM

Sunday Morning Bagelwich

It was a bright and chilly Sunday morning. Mom and Dad were at Doha, Qatar, leaving me home alone for the entire weekend. I managed waking up earlier than usual that day, approximately at 6 o'clock. I got dressed, then I drove myself to Rumah Sakit Hewan Ragunan to visit my dog who was ill back then (may his soul rest in peace). 

After a quick quality time with Timo, I headed to my church to attend the early morning mass. I made a quick stop at a favorite bagel shop of mine in Kemang to grab me some breakfast. It was at 7 when I arrived at Bagel Bagel. They were still tyding things up at the shop, but the bagel sandwiches were already available to be served.

I ordered the Smoked Beef & Cheese Bagelwich - your choice of bagel sandwiching a nice slice of smoked beef, cheese spread, sliced cheese, and lettuce. I was going to ordered the Banana Caramel Bagel, but unfortunately they don't sell that particular menu anymore at Bagel Bagel. Bummer.

Loved, and will always love, the chewy texture of the bagels here at Bagel Bagel! I'm not a big fan of savory bagelwich, so the Smoked Ham & Cheese bagelwich was just okay for me. The smoked ham and cheese spread blended nicely with each other, and the lettuce made a fine intermezo between the combination of flavor. 

Since multitasking is not my forte, I ended up not finishing my bagelwich because it got thrown from my hand to the car's floor as I made a sudden break due to pedestrian passing by. It's a good thing I didn't hit any of them! I seriously did not see them crossing from the other side of the street. In the end, my bagelwich is the one who took the toll of my clumsiness. 

Bagel Bagel

Jalan Benda Raya No. 14D

Kemang 12560

Jakarta Selatan

Phone:

+62 781 8679

Opening Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 7AM - 8PM

Friday - Sunday: 7AM - 9PM

Pigged Out

It is said that "Pork eaters are better lovers". I must be one epic lover. 

1 Ounce of Roasted Pork

My best buddies, Sally and Angel, and I had been planning on having lunch at a restaurant named Kaca Mata. For those who are not familiar with what Kaca Mata is, it is a Chinese restaurant where you can find crispy pork and a thousand year egg. It is located at Grand Wijaya Center, at Kebayoran Baru, to be exact. My Mom and I paid a visit to Kaca Mata Restaurant once and we had what its' called Casio Goreng Madu, or a fried crispy pork that was bathe in honey beforehand. I told Sally and Angel about the delightful manna from heaven, and they showed an eagerness to visit Kaca Mata as well. Today, we finally made it to the Chinese restaurant and had lunch together.

We ordered a lot of food - an ounce of Roasted Pork, an ounce of Casio Goreng Madu, a bowl of Pork Buns, a couple glasses of Soy Bean Milk, and a glass of Kietna - and we shared the dishes together. I have no complain about how the pork tasted like because they were all good. The Roasted Pork are very savory and enjoyable, not to mention very juicy and tender. The Casio Goreng Madu, on the other hand, was beyond crispy and palatable! It was very sweet, from the honey, and I enjoyed every bite of it.

A plate of golden brown Roasted Pork

Casio Goreng Madu

A bowl of broth with Chinese Lettuce

I didn't like Soy Bean Milk when I was a kid because I think it tasted weird and gross. But, for some reason, I began to fancy that drink and ordered it most of the time when I see the word "Susu Kacang" on the menu. Kaca Mata's Soy Bean Milk was very refreshing and not nauseating, which is a good thing. That way, I could enjoy meat and milk at the same time, without having the feeling to pour them out. 

Angel had a glass of Kietna. I had no idea what Kietna was! I searched on the web for 'Kietna' and I found out that it is a type of orange that Chinese people fancy. "Here, try some," offered Angel. I took a spoonful of the orange drink and savor it with my fully operational taste bud. The drink share the same sour taste with Tamarine, yet it has this sweetness and juiciness of an Orange. I puckered my face as a respond of how weird the drink tasted like. It didn't taste that bad, in fact it tasted very unique and amusing, but I prefer my Soy Bean Milk.

Left: Soy Bean Milk, Right: Kietna

We also had a bowl of Pork Buns. There were three small buns inside the bowl and each one of us got one. This food right here is my second favorite dish in Kaca Mata that I ate today. The buns were small, it fitted the size of my palm, and they were very soft and slightly sweet. When you cut open the buns, you will find a blob of red goo with cut meat inside. The red goo was the sweet sauce that bathe the cut meat, in this case, pork. The whole dish was very delicious and mouthwatering!

Pork Buns

The sweet pork meat inside the buns

Angel was not too happy with Kaca Mata's Roasted Pork because they were not crispy enough. "How about we go to Kenanga after we finished our lunch? It's a Chinese restaurant that sells pork as well, and it's not very far from here," I recommended. Sally and Angel agreed and we continued licking our plates clean before we move on to the next destination.

Nasi Campur Kenanga was where we headed next. It is located in Grand Wijaya Center as well, only a couple blocks away from Kaca Mata Restaurant. Now, this right here is my favorite restaurant. My parents and I often visit Nasi Campur Kenanga after we finished our mass to feast of crispy Roasted Pork and Sweet Pork. 

The place was filled with people when we arrived, which lead us to dine in at the second floor of the restaurant. We ordered an ounce of Roasted Pork, two pieces of Siomay, and a stick of Pork meat. We didn't eat a lot at Kenanga because we just ate at Kaca Mata. Angel was very happy with the Roasted Pork because they were very very crispy. The skin was very crispy and savory, it even let out a sound that gives people the idea of you eating Cheetos. I continuously munch on those golden brown pork, but for some reason, I ended up being feed by both Sally and Angel. They stuck a fork inside the pork, and the Siomay as well, and shove it into my mouth. I didn't mind at all!

Kenanga's Roasted Pork

Two pieces of Siomay and a stick of Pork meat

We were stuffed with pork and we were very happy. It was two in the afternoon and we didn't want to head home yet. I suggested that the three of us find a place where we can leisure while eating a bowl of ice cream or cake. Soully Butter Kitchen and Hampton's came up in the conversation, but then the image of creamy cake and milky ice cream popped out of no where, which made us didn't feel like having dessert. So, we agreed to head to Sally's place and enjoy the afternoon.

But then, I remembered that there is this awesome bagel shop near Sally's house named Bagel Bagel. I was craving for some bagels this past few days and, knowing that I got the chance to visit a bagel shop, I said to my buddies that I wanted to make a quick pit stop. So, we did, and I bought my self a bagel-wich! With an Everything Bagel, as in Bagel with sesame seeds and poppy seeds as toppings, and bananas, caramel, and cream cheese as the fillings, I completed my weekly needs of bagels.

Banana Caramel Bagel from Bagel Bagel

The bagel was hard on the outside and soft on the inside. My bagel-wich was very sweet from the ripe bananas and the caramel, yet savory and creamy from the cream cheese. Sally had the same bagel-wich, but she didn't use any caramel on it. It was very kind of Sally to treat me a bottle of Iced Thai Coffe and two pieces of plain bagels. I shook her hand and place it on my forehead like how Indonesian students pay respect to their teachers to say my gratitude. Angel got her treat as well, which was a Chocolate Chips bagel with cream cheese and blueberry as its' fillings. 

After we got ourselves some bagels, we headed to Sally's place and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon munching on bagels and watching the new season of New Girl. It was very delightful to eat bagels with your friends, I recommend you to do the same thing!

Had an Everything Bagel, which consisted of sesame seeds and poppy seeds

Iced Thai Coffee

Kaca Mata Restaurant

Grand Wijaya Centre

Jalan Wijaya II, Blok C No. 4

Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta

Phone: (021) 723 5228

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 24 Hours

Nasi Campur Kenanga

Grand Wijaya Centre

Jalan Wijaya II, Blok F No. 19

Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta

Phone: (021) 385 2293

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 10 AM - 7 PM

Bagel Bagel
Jalan Benda Raya 14D, Kemang 12560
Indonesia

Phone: (021) 781 8769

Opening Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 6 AM - 8 PM
Friday - Sunday: 6 AM - 9 PM

B A G E L I C I O U S

One of my best bud named Sally had been telling me about this cafe that sells New York style sandwich bagels. Bagel Bagel is the name of the place, and I finally got the chance to stop by and have one of their famous bagels. It was a sunny Monday, me and Sally drove from school to this particular cafe located not far from where Sally lives. I was so excited to try Bagel Bagel's product, I even prepared myself by not having breakfast.

When we arrived, I couldn't hide my excitement any longer. I grinned all the way to the cafe. I could tell that Sally was disturbed, but I couldn't care less because I was about to have my first bite of what I had been wanting to eat for the past weeks. 

I browsed Bagel Bagel's Facebook page the other day to find out what kinds of bagels they have at the cafe. Numerous kinds of bagels, with wide varieties of fillings, decorated my monitor. Two of them caught my attention, which are the Egg, Bacon & Cheese Bagel and the Banana Caramel Bagel. It was hard to chose which one I would eat for lunch, but finally I decided to try the sweet Banana Caramel Bagel.

What to have.. What to have..

A bit pricey, but worth a shot

In the cafe, there are boxes made out of glass where they keep the bagels. Each boxes have different labels on it, for examples "Cheese", "Sesame-seed", "Whole Wheat", and even "Chocolate Chip". Then it hits me, "Oh, I see. We choose what type of bagel that we like for the sandwich". I scanned the boxes and I decided to try the poppy-seed bagel.

"What would you like to have," asked the bagel lady. I ordered myself a Banana Caramel Bagel, with poppy-seed bagel, and a bottle of Thai Milk Tea. Sally said that Bagel Bagel's Thai Milk Tea is very good, so I decided to try one. It was a bit pricey to have lunch at Bagel Bagel, but I don't mind. The bagels will cost you about Rp 40.000,00 or so, and the Thai Milk Tea is approximately Rp 19.000,00. Well, a $6 lunch doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Onion bagel? Well, this certainly is not an appropriate place for Dracula to have lunch 

Dibs on the poppy-seed bagels!

A bottle of sweet Thai Milk Tea for tea lovers

Five minutes passed and the bagel lady came to our table and served us our orders. I was overwhelmed by how appealing the bagels are. Sally's was a Thai Spicy Chicken, which looked very delicious, spicy, and savory. "Bon appetit," we said to ourselves and we took a bite of the famous bagels. 

IT WAS BAGELICIOUS! Mine were sweet and savory. I could tell that they used a pricey banana, like one of those Sunripe Banana, because it tasted mildly sweet, in a good way. The caramel sauce was great, but then I found out that if I feel unwell if I consume too much caramel sauce. The cream cheese were salty and delightful, a bit like butter but with more flavor. All in all, my Banana Caramel Bagel was great. No, no great, IT WAS EPIC!

Don't you just wanna devour this whole bagel?

Sweet mother of macaroni, droppings of God have never looked this beautiful! 

Look at how those poppy seeds dominated the bagel buns

Oh my, look at that lake of caramel sauce!

It took me about an hour to finish the whole bagel. The dripping caramel was kind of disturbing, not to mention my stomach started to feel sick, so I decided to separate the remaining caramel sauce from the bagel. I was halfway done, and with the not-so-overloaded-with-caramel-sauce being lighter, I managed to finish it. Despite the fact that I was feeling unwell, I still crave for some more of Bagel Bagel's New York style bagel sandwich. 

I bought another bagel sandwich which goes by the name Philly Cheese Steak Bagel for my Mom. Filled with meat, melted cheese, and mushroom; Mom was very happy that I bought the bagel sandwich for her. I'm glad she liked it.

It has been a couple of weeks since the first time I visit Bagel Bagel, and I'm craving for more right at this particular moment. They do delivery order, but the minimum order is around Rp 200.000,00, that is about five bagel sandwich or so. I would be more than willing to eat all of them if I could. No, seriously. I would if I could.

For more information about this beautiful and appealing, and delicious bagels, why don't you visit Bagel Bagel's Twitter here and its Facebook page here


Bagel Bagel
Jl. Benda Raya 14D, Kemang 12560
Indonesia

Phone: (021) 7818769

Opening Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 6 AM - 8 PM
Friday Sunday: 6 AM - 9 PM