Want some good bagels?
By Chung Joo-won
Bagel is either "an office snack," or "a quick bite," -- in most parts of the world EXCEPT Korea, I think.
In Korea? I think people think of it more as a ... "MEAL for one," or "seated lunch among intimate people."
That's why bagels come larger and softer in Korea... hmmm.
The other day, I dropped by "London Bagel Museum" in Anguk-dong, central Seoul. LBM!!!
It says "London," but it's baked, run and served by Koreans. We Koreans are obsessed to use the expression "K-," so let us call these fluffy, puffy, insanely yummy things, "K-bagels."
It's 18 minutes by walk from my office (If not LBM, I wouldn't bother to crawl that far) and 7 minutes by car.
But the distance is not the problem. It's about the INSANE WAITING LINE...!!
If I go there in summer, it means I feel TRUELY energetic and motivated that day.
There's an registration machine outside the store. It's best to waitlist yourself (sign up your cell number) at the most unpopular hour of the day (8:00-18:00) and hang around for 1-2 hours until you're up.
I had to squeeze into SWARMS of people to browse.
I already ate lunch (didn't expect to get my bagels on time). I was aiming for to-go, maybe for dinner.
It was hard to pick one. I new the "potato cheese" and "chives & cream cheese" were the most popular ones here.
One bagel suffices for 1 meal, I think.
But if I'm starving, I might finish 1.5 bagel at a time.
The chives & cream cheese bagel was about twice as pricey as the other bagels (US$3-4), but my companies said it was worth it.
All my buddies got at least one potato cheese bagel to go. But I was hungry for something sweet, so I picked cinnamon & pecan. (I did hesitate for the fig and the pretzel flavors, though.)
Check this out: the black hole of bagels...
▲ London Bagel Museum in Anguk (Photo by Chung Joo-won)And of course, there were all kinds of cheese, cheese spreads, coleslaws (handmade, seemingly) at a glass shelf by the counter.
I didn't try them this time, because I wasn't sure if I can bring them home fresh.
I liked their to-go plastic bag design, with a portrait of British Queen Elizabeth II.
I'll go back for salty bagels next time, when I feel energetic again (or if the weather gets cooler here).
jwc@yna.co.kr
▲ London Bagel Museum in Anguk (Photo by Chung Joo-won)[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]