In the January 2012 edition of Foodie we ran a Food War to explore the assertion that “there is no decent bagels to be found in Hong Kong”, wailed usually by our Yankee friends that call Hong Kong home. The winner of the the competition was…ah, no one. The proclamation was revealed to be quite true and for the first time in our Foodie history we were unable to come up with at least a four star contender for the title. A tragic outcome. We did however put forth a call to action for Foodies state wide, to demur the frozen wheels of doom found in the supermarkets and come up with something taste tingling. Schragels have warmly risen to the challenge.
Schragels Bagels–Finally a Decent Bagel in Hong Kong.
The bagels are crafted according to a time honoured tradition. Each bagel is hand rolled, kettle boiled and stone baked to order. This means the bagels are always delivered fresh, and devoured with extraordinary pace. They really do have a New York style calibre and that was validated by the numerous Americans in our office, one of whom took a SnapChat and then exclaimed “I have literally sent that to every American in Hong Kong; there are finally good bagels in this city!”
The story and menu can be checked out at www.schragels.com. Currently they are offering the Schragels Sets, which include cream cheese (house mixed with dairy products from New Zealand). They also offer smoked salmon platters with capers and red onions (the salmon is the finest from Norway and absolutely delicious. The quality of the salmon is magnificent which, again, can also be elusive on this fine little island). We really, really enjoyed the pecan & honey cream cheese which coupled superbly with the sesame seed bagel. Add a cup of joe and your day is set!
At the moment all bagels must be pre-ordered 48 hours in advance and are made fresh to order and delivered (delivery to Central is $30 and slightly more for areas further out). They can be contacted at the email on the website or on Whatsapp (+852 9730 6727). Their kitchen is further out but they offer pick-up from the HQ in Sheung Wan for those who prefer that (yes…that would be us).
These crispy yet dense halos of dough are worth lining up for on a winter’s Manhattan morning, but then we remember we live in Hong Kong, and they deliver. Well played Schragels, well played.
