Best Ugly Bagels in town!

The last time we caught up with Al Brown for the launch of his latest book, it was clear his food philsophy was not flowers on pristine plates. Al Brown's latest gastronomical offering once again proves you don't need to have tablecloths on tables for people to love and rave about your food.

After winning the Metro Restaurant of the Year in 2012, the talk hasn't died down and it doesn't look like the line to go into Depot is about to get shorter any time. Best Ugly Bagels follows the same philsophy with delicious bites of well executed food in a relaxed setting.

But why bagels? As a young chef, Al Brown spent some time in Montreal, where he developed this love for Montreal bagels. The difference between Montreal bagels is the fact that they are rolled thinner, and contain no salt. These are then simmered in water sweetened with honey before firing them in the woodfire oven.

The result?

King – cream cheese, salmon, lox, capers, and red onion

I don't know about you, but this sesame coated bagel is nothing but ugly. Seeing each one so lovingly handrolled in the open kitchen reminds me of the best homemade cookies – lumpy looking but filled with generous chunks of chocolate. Topped with cream cheese, salmon, lox, capers and red onion – that is a killer combination

for a bagel.

There is a noticeable difference with a fresh golden bagel and these Best Ugly bagels are sweeter and chewier than other bagels I've tried.

The filled bagels are great for lunch, and choices like the Yodi with pastrami, Swiss cheese, pickles and Habanero mustard, the TAB with tomato, avocado and basil or the King with cream cheese, salmon, lox, capers and red onion as below.

I suggest getting a filled bagel for lunch but if you are heading there as an after-lunch sweet thought, there's honey, peanut butter and jelly or homemade hazelnut spread.