I had actually known a Japanese-style bagel specialist was coming to Bangbae even before it opened, and this time I finally got the chance to go.

The place

I have no idea why a bagel shop would be called Boss.. From what I vaguely heard, it is run by a company with Japanese ties..

Bagels like these

They really do make pretty, dainty little bagels. You can tell from the look alone that these are Japanese-style rather than American.

Menu

The fact that they even have cream soda pretty much settles it: this is the Japanese style.

Inside

Nice and tidy.

Dessert bagels

So this was possible..

Bagels

Bagels

Bagels

The more I look at them, the better made they seem..

The cat and the oven

It has the air of something out of a Ghibli film.

Took some home..

Nice and tidy.

Pollock roe and gamtae seaweed bagel

Unlike the chewy New York style, this is a soft, fluffy bagel with a clean, mild flavour. As something to eat as a meal, a style like this is light enough that I thought it worked rather well. The gamtae and the pollock roe did not assert themselves all that strongly. That actually made it easier to eat.

Olive cheese bagel

I enjoyed this one too. That said, if you go expecting a New York-style bagel, this is a completely different style of taste. I think I can only recommend it to people who want to try what a Japanese-style bagel is like. The prices are a bit steep, too, but with so many places selling expensive bagels these days, London Bagel Museum among them, that does not seem like much of a problem.

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