#25 "Everyone in London is obsessed with bagels at the moment"
There's just something about bagels
Just quickly… I haven’t had any good ideas about writing in a really long time. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve had good ideas, and I think about writing all the time, but then I read a tonne of other Substacks for inspiration purposes and I got bogged down in how deep and intricate and amazing they all were. Anyway, I want to give things a go, a proper go, so thanks for still being here, let’s do this!
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75 Hard Challenge:
I’m doing this version of the 75 hard challenge on TikTok at the minute where instead chugging 8 million gallons of water and hitting the weights, I’m forcing myself to write something (long or short) every day and share it with the world. I’m on day 55 and I’d say it’s going prettttttty well. Check it out below:
If there’s one place I’d recommend visiting on a bad day, it’s The Bagel Guys in Netil Market. I’d also suggest going there on a great day, an average day, the day of your wedding, your birthday, an anniversary, following a promotion, if it’s raining outside and when you simply don’t have anything else better to do. Tucked away in a little hut in Hackney, the place is run by husband (Paul) and wife (Jordan) duo and their team who “take inspiration from bagel shops, delis, bodegas and pizza slice joints in New York” - and it shows.
If I was a poet, I’d write some pretty verses about their bacon, egg and cheese bagel (or more commonly known in the bagel world as BEC) but alas even though poetry seems like something I’d excel at, it was never my strong suit at school. Described as “a Classic New York breakfast sammie” the bagel consists of “streaky bacon, bodega-style folded egg and melted American cheese topped with [their] mildly spicy House Sauce” and I can assure you that it might sound simple, but this BEC will change your life. It will fix your broken heart. It will save the day and it will give you hope for a better tomorrow.
You know in movies where people scoot into those leather booths in an old diner and a cheery waitress comes over and says ‘What will it be?’ and the protagonist orders apple pie and a cup of coffee as they stare wistfully out the window - The Bagel Guys is my equivalent of that classic cinematic moment except I’m eating a bagel (no drink) and reading a book on a bench that I’m certain will break if I move even an inch to the right - I am staring wistfully into the distance though.
For day seven of my TikTok challenge I wanted to talk about bagels because I’d just discovered this little hut and I felt very strongly about what they were producing. I was also seeing a lot of press online for ‘It’s Bagels’ - the ultra cool bagel shop in Primrose Hill opened by former New Yorker Dan Martense last year - the spot was getting a surge of attention on social media with creators flocking there en masse which set the cogs in my brain whirring as they tried to predict if bagels were the next cool thing (they’ve always been cool to me) (also matcha affogato is on the cards too). Apparently, people were queuing for hours to get their hands on the doughy, distinctly New York bagels and as many as 150 hungry customers turn up every weekend.
(If I go I’ll report back!)
A few days ago creator @alanalvv recently put out a video on TikTok that began with ‘Everyone in London is obsessed with bagels at the moment so I invited my friends over for a bagel brunch this Easter’. Firstly, can you imagine ever hearing such a line in your life? Secondly, if I had the means, I would do this. In her content, she sets out an array of delicious-looking bagel fillings from cream cheese to jammy eggs to a platter of onions, capers and smoked salmon. She mentioned she bought the bagels from Papo’s Bagels, a popular shop in Dalston offering NYC-style bagels - but no BEC!
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Is it also fair to hypothesise that bagels are dethroning Sourdough as the number one cool bread to find at any new, fancy bakery or cafe? So frequently bombarded with options to have eggs cooked in an array of different ways before being plopped on top of a slab of hard, sharp Sourdough bread that always leaves my mouth cut and my wallet empty (why does it cost £15?) bagels, offer us something more versatile, transportable and inviting. It’s on-the-go fun. It’s getting cream cheese on your face and not minding. It’s the cross-section of yumminess as you slice open a bagel which has been lovingly wrapped in parchment paper and foil for extra freshness - beat that sourdough bread…
Is Here (In Your Arms) by Hellogoodbye about to be the song of the summer?? I saw a video earlier and people were arguing in the comment section about who knew the song and who didn’t.
I’m in a Radiohead silo and it’s RUINING MY LIFE in the best way. *Alexa play Videotape by Radiohead* for the 10th time today.
I’m on the UK Fashion brainrot side of the internet and I don’t know how or why I got there but I want to leave. Essentially it’s edits of who other users on TikTok deem to be the worst people from the UK fashion scene - just want to add that I don’t know who anyone is.
Babe, what’s wrong? you haven’t used your aesthetic portable cup holder to carry your grande iced caramel macchiato…
Are people wearing astroturfs for summer? I hate it here.
Until the next one,
Lory x