Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli

I’m very happy to blog about the best recommendation that I’ve received so far. My friend Liam Crapper suggested Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli. I remember one time where Liam and I went to get bagels at 2 AM in Montreal with a group of friends, so that’s how you know how we much we love bagels. My friend Alexa Pichet Binette, a fellow bagel aficionado and Fairmount fan (I see you Alexa!), and I visited Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli. We walked into the shop around 1:30 PM and saw only sesame bagels, so we weren’t sure if that’s all they offered. Later on, a clerk told us that they usually sell out of most of their bagels by noon every day! So we decided to go for a couple of bagel sandwiches and had a delicious time.

Bagelman's Choice

The first bagel sandwich that Alexa and I tried was the Bagelman’s Choice. This features a sesame bagel (all of their sandwiches are served on a sesame bagel) with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, and red onions. The sesame bagel had a very firm and crispy crust. The bagel was sweet, chewy, and doughy with a subtle sesame flavour. Alexa felt the cream cheese tasted a bit more acidic than the average cream cheese. We both agreed that the salmon was very good - very savoury. We also noted that the firm crust of the bagel makes it a good structural base for the sandwich.

Toast of the Town

Next, we tried the Toast of the Town. This sandwich features smoked meat, cheese (I can’t remember which type though!), and dijon mustard on a sesame bagel. Alexa and I were really impressed by how well the bagel held up under the smoked meat. The bottom half of the bagel became much thinner due to the weight and fat/oils of the meat, but the crispiness of the crust kept it all intact. This sesame bagel is a really excellent base for any type of sandwich. The meat was pretty good too, and while we were a bit indecisive about the second sandwich choice (after the classic bagel and lox combo above), we felt smoked meat was probably the best decision since the shop is also a deli (and a small and very charming grocery store).

Everything bagel

Luckily, we stayed long enough to watch them come out with a fresh batch of everything bagels! I don’t usually believe in destiny, but I’m pretty sure there was a bagel deity smiling down on us at that moment. Alexa noticed that each bagel seemed unique in their levels of toastedness, so you can pick and choose your bagels based on how brown or crispy you like them. We grabbed a couple of everything bagels to go.

I want to start off by saying this everything bagel smelled amazing. The first flavour that comes through is poppy, then garlic, and it finishes off with sesame. This bagel is seasoned with salt chunks which adds to the savouriness. The onion flakes also add a smokiness to the flavour profile. The bread was soft and chewy. This is an excellent bagel with a complex flavour profile - 5 out of 5 bagels for me.

Conclusion

I really love Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli - hands down 5/5. I am very much looking forward to going back (earlier in the day!) to try their other bagels the next time I’m in Ottawa. Thanks to Liam for his recommendation and thanks to Alexa for joining me on my last bagel adventure of 2019!