Bagels having a bit of a moment in Singapore again?
We have gone through croissants, bomboloni, canelés, shio pans and all sorts of hybrid bakes, and now another bagel shop has appeared, this time at Hong Lim Complex (near the food centre).
Good Luck Bagels is a new takeaway bakery and baking studio, and the name is apparently not accidental. I was told the owners wanted something auspicious given the Chinatown location, so “Good Luck” eventually became the name.
There is also a familiar connection for those who have been following Singapore’s café scene for some time, as one of the head bakers previously worked at The Flour Department. (Remember them?)
The bagels here take a more Korean-inspired direction rather than going for the dense, highly chewy New York style. The texture is softer and fluffier, with enough chew to still feel like a bagel, but without that jaw workout you sometimes get.
The flavours are also considerably less traditional, ranging from Plain ($3.50), Kopi Boy ($3.90) and Pistachio Cookie ($4.20) to Cinnamon Pecans ($4.50), Black Truffle Garlic Cheese ($5.80), Tomato Smoked Cheese Egg Mayo ($6.80), Mexican Jalapeño Cheese ($4), Brick Lane with Vanilla Honey ($8) and Japanese Takoyaki ($6.80).
From 11am, there is also a small selection of Signature Open Face Bagels, including Crunchy Garden ($12), Smoked Salmon with Lemon ($15) and Japanese Grande Tomatoes ($13).
I went for the Tomato Smoked Cheese Egg Mayo ($6.80), which came filled rather generously with egg mayo and finished with cheese over the top.
It was a straightforward combination, but the softer bagel worked well with the creamy filling, making the whole thing easier to eat than some of the denser bagel sandwiches I have encountered.
The Japanese Takoyaki ($6.80) was more creative, topped with mayonnaise, bonito flakes and seaweed so that it looked somewhere between takoyaki and okonomiyaki in bagel form.
The more interesting part came when I bit further towards the centre and found a little surprise inside, making it more than simply a bagel with Japanese-style toppings piled on top.
Good Luck Bagels is mainly designed as a takeaway shop, though I thought the layout could perhaps be slightly more intuitive for first-time customers.
The display window faces outside, so you naturally stop there first to look through the available flavours, but the ordering counter is located inside the shop.
This means you browse from one side, then move indoors to place your order, and if you are still deciding or want to double-check what you saw outside, the process can feel a little disconnected, especially when several customers are doing the same thing.
Note that there is also no dine-in seating, so this is really somewhere to pick up a bagel and go rather than settle down for coffee and brunch.
Still, I quite like that the flavours go beyond the conventional, especially when the menu can go from Kopi Boy to Black Truffle Garlic Cheese and Pistachio Cookie.
Good Luck Bagels
Hong Lim Complex #02-41, 531 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 050531
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 3:30pm (Tue – Sat), Closed Mon, Sun
Other Related Entries
blob (Tiong Bahru)
Hues Canele (Chinatown)
Mimmo Bakery (Asia Square)
Yunma Bakehouse (Purvis Street)
Sonder Cafe and Bakery (Crawford Lane)
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