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GTF bagels were really good! loved the truffle mayo and the SUPER CRISPY hashbrown. this was alr split in half so my friend and i ordered one to share - so it was $5.40 for each of us :)
Wooly’s Bagels probably needs no introduction at this current juncture — they aren’t quite a new addition to the local F&B scene, considering how these folks had started out being a pop-up within the Eggstop outlet at Rangoon Road that since become a full-fledged location for Wooly’s Bagels. Expanding their operations throughout the years, Wooly’s Bagels now has a hole-in-the-wall space at Joo Chiat, as well as a brand new outlet located at Arab Street within the Kampong Glam neighbourhood. The Arab Street location takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Ruhe; an establishment that was supposed to be an extension of what Overrun that is located right beside it, though for not seem to have ever went into full operations during its time. Wooly’s Bagels has did quite a fair bit of work to the space; some may find the space decked out a little similarly to another bagel-centric establishment named B for Bagel — this is especially given the use of orange and terracotta against wooden elements to give the space a modern American-style deli vibe that is also a little rustic to say the least. This is also Wooly’s Bagels largest outlet thus far, considering how there is a fair amount of space dedicated for dine-in customers with most seats comprising of wooden stools and dining tables — there are however four high chairs matched against a high table that faces a wall. Those whom are familiar with the brand would probably know that they are a Muslim-owned establishment. Considering their focus on bagels, much of the offerings are central around the theme of bagel sandwiches, though they also do serve up their bagels as-is with cream cheeses that can be purchased separately to go along as a spread; there are also a variety of sides that one can go for here, which includes their rendition of fries, tater tots, Mac & Cheese and mid wings. For beverages, Wooly’s Bagels does have espresso-based specialty coffee, matcha, drinking chocolate and lemonade.
Being a bagel house here, it is needless to say that Wooly’s Bagels does serve up quite a good variety of bagels here. Patrons to get the flexibility to opt for the variant of bagels that they would like to have with their bagel sandwiches; the choices available being the Plain, Cheese, Garlic, Sesame and the Tuscan Pizza — all bagel types do not come with any extra charges if opted for with the only exception being the Tuscan Pizza bagel; the Tuscan Pizza bagel being charged at 50 cents extra. From what we noticed from the online POS system where one can make their orders electronically and also pay via cashless means, there is also a flexibility to change the methods of cooking for the eggs (i.e. sunny side-up / scrambled eggs), while also allowing patrons to opt for add-ons should they desire so. Skimming through the menu at Wooly’s Bagels, the Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo might be an item that comes with quite a boring name that may not be as inventive as the rest; that being said, it was also an item that seemed to comprise of a local fusion element that felt different from its other offerings. Wooly’s Bagels describe their Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo to come with elements such as Mackerel Otah slices, coconut lime mayonnaise and sunny side-ups; we opted for the Tuscan Pizza bagel for our order, and did not go for any of the add-ons. While self-service is the norm at Wooly’s Bagels typically, the food do seem to be happy to serve the food to the table if they are not too busy. We do note that there is an Otah Kau that is being served at their Rangoon Road location but this one does feel a little more stripped down in our opinion.
On its own, the Tuscan Pizza bagel does come with a slight hint of herbs and also a layer of crusted melted cheese on top, though this does seem to be less obvious with the Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo bagel sandwich. In fact, it is the Mackerel Otah slices that really stole the show here — this would be the element that really fronted the dish with its evident notes of rempah spices and unforgiving kick of spiciness that would make one crave for more; the level of spiciness being something that should be slightly beyond that of moderate levels. One thing that we thought didn’t do quite well with the Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo was how unnecessarily wet the entire bagel sandwich felt; the soft texture of the Otah didn’t really help against the drizzling of coconut chili mayonnaise — the fact that it comes default with the sunny side-up also meant that there was a broken egg yolk to deal with. All these made the Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo felt unusually sloppy and difficult to handle; this is especially on the side where the molten egg yolk was at. We would reckon the bagel itself was actually fairly good on its own without having soaked up all the wet elements here, considering it seemed to have carried a good, firm bite that brought a bit of tension. Also have had the Latte during our visit to Wooly’s Bagels at Arab Street; the Latte comes a little bit more milky here but is fairly decent with its light body and earthy and nutty notes that makes for a good mid-day perk-me-up. Given how much we have heard about Wooly’s Bagels, we do think that it might be a case of us ordering the wrong item; the bagel sandwiches are priced rather reasonably for most — the lowest-priced one being the Otah with Coconut Chili Mayo at $17, though the priciest bagel sandwich is a little bit on the higher-priced side at $21 being the Chonk Chunk Tuna. It does seem that the trend for bagel sandwiches aren’t dying any time soon despite being a niche item, and Wooly’s Bagels might be a spot that is worth trying for those looking out for such places around the island.
