NYC Bagel Deli has gone from a moveable stall at markets to opening more permanent stores, the latest being at West End. Coffee and a bagel is still a very American thing, but from their expansion, it seems like it is catching on here.
The West End store is located in the ground floor of the same new-ish residential building as Morning After. It has similarly modern decor, but with a more industrial, minimalist bent. It has polished concrete floors, grey painted concrete-look walls, and a black ceiling. The neutral colours of grey and black are very much in use through the area, with black tabletops, and a black wall with their logo.
You come to the service counter as soon as you enter, with a menu on the wall listing the combinations of fillings you can have in your bagel, both sweet and savoury. They do have different types of bagels available, but they didn’t have the range listed anywhere when we were there. At that same counter is also where your coffees get made, and there is a bit of a bustle in that little space, between the taking of food orders and espressos being pulled. The line moved efficiently. You get a number in exchange for your order (and payment), and find yourself a seat.
They use Cleanskin Coffee coffee beans, and turn out a mean brew. The iced latte was strong and had roasted, smoky aroma, without being bitter. It could actually have been diluted down a little with more milk, but to each their own, I guess.
The flat white also had a similarly rich flavour, and was nicely textured.
Having had quite a filling meal earlier in the day, we shared a bagel. We went with the Everything bagel, which has onion, five seeds, and salt, filled with the simple classic of the plain cream cheese shmear, as they call it. It was served in a white basket, similar to what burger joints have rediscovered, lined in paper that has been specially patterned and printed for them. The bagel was toasted, and a little crunchy on the outside. On the inside, it was dense, but still soft. There was indeed a good thick shmear of the cream cheese, not just a token lining layer. They got the ratio of cream cheese to bagel right, so that it gave each bite that rich, slightly fatty mouthfeel. They do indeed know how to make bagels.
They also had a special of rainbow bagels to catch the current unicorn trend around their launch time. I’m not sure if they still have them, but they were pretty to look at..
Overall, the NYC Bagel Deli delivers what one hopes for when you go there: good bagels. And some good coffee as well.
Scores:
Food: 3/4
Setting: 1/2
Service: 1/2
Total: 5/8
Price point: Bagel with cream cheese $5. More substantially filled savoury bagels (things like smoked salmon or pulled pork) $8 to $12.
Value: Alright.
Details:
Address: 47 Vulture Street, West End
Phone: 0479 106 834
Website: NYC Bagel Deli
