B for Bagel had been making waves on social media ever since the opening of its first outpost in Singapore. Hailing from Gangnam, Korea, B for Bagel had officially opened its doors in September 2022 at the basement of Tanglin Mall — the outlet is located around the same area as the new Korean marketplace-cum-food hall Market Blue, as well as the outlet of Heavenly Wang within the mall as well. The entire store is decked in a rather retro yet modern look; adopting an orange colour scheme, the store features furniture and fittings with wooden and metallic elements for a sleek look against light box-style signages that are typically found in American-style eateries. Despite the moderately-sized space it occupies at the basement of the mall, the entire shop space is dedicated into three sections — patrons would enter B for Bagel around the counter area; the same spot will also be the place where customers can pick up takeaway bagels from the display rack as well. The dine-in space would be towards the right of the entrance, while the far right is dedicated to the retail area where one would be able to find branded merchandise as well as a curated selection of alcohol for sale. The menu at B for Bagel comprises of bagels of different variations being served as-is; for those who are looking for something more substantial, there are also a decent selection of bagel sandwiches available as well — there is also the Peach / Banana / Mango Cloud and the Black Turtle Bean Mascarpone that forms the list of dessert bagels available at B for Bagel. Specialty coffee forms up most of the beverages available at B for Bagel — the espresso-based coffee as well as the Eispanner are brewed using beans roasted by PPP Coffee (yes; the same PPP Coffee at Funan that also runs Chye Seng Huat Hardware at Tyrwhitt Road); the only non-caffeinated beverage on the menu would be the Iced Lemonade.

Having made the visit to B for Bagel to go for something slightly more substantial, we went for the Red Curry Chicken Bagel Sandwich — the poster illustrating the various bagel sandwiches available behind the counter describes the Red Curry Chicken Bagel Sandwich to come with elements such as red curry sauce, roasted chicken, pickled celery, pickled carrot, spring onion aioli and cilantro. A bagel sandwich that seems to be inspired by Thai and Viet elements, we liked how the entire deal came up altogether — for one, the bagel sandwich came with a bagel that has been toasted; we really liked how the bagel carried a really firm bite and a slight chew with that lightly crisp surface on the top which gave it so much texture. In between, the bagel is packed with ingredients at the right thickness; one could easily pick up one half of the bagel and chew through the entire sandwich in a mouthful — the red curry sauce being spread on the underside of the bagel and is creamy whilst replicating the fragrance of Thai Red Curry. It gives the tender and juicy roasted chicken beneath the flavour it needs based on the namesake of the bagel sandwich, while the pickled celery and pickled carrots provide a refreshing tang almost akin to the same that is usually included in Vietnamese Banh Mi; the spring onion aioli providing a creamy touch to the entire bagel sandwich.

With the opening of Phase 3 of the Thomson-East Coast Line, getting down to B for Bagel (or Tanglin Mall, for the matter) has never gotten easier — Tanglin Mall is easily accessible from the new Orchard Boulevard MRT Station, which makes it a rather convenient location to head to for brunch especially for those who are living directly on the train line itself. Whilst there is quite the social media hype that surrounds B for Bagel which we were initially pretty skeptical about, our visit does prove that they are worthy of the hype — at least we were impressed with the Red Curry Chicken Bagel that we have decided to go for, which sees quite a fair bit of attention to detail being placed on the execution of the bagels especially. The Eispanner was also decent, though we were lesser in favour of the choice of beans that they have decided to go for — the fruity body was something that was not really quite to our preference for specialty coffee that sees a layer of creamy foam over the top. Waiting times for bagel sandwiches can take a while at B for Bagel — perhaps something that those who intend to visit would like to take note. That being said, we are pretty intrigued to give their different variants of plain bagels a go some day — we are particularly interested in the Spinach Bagel; probably a trip soon to be made considering how the new train line certainly makes it a more convenient breakfast option for us to hit!