Keen’s Bagelry – New Bagel Shop Within Curbside Crafters With Generously-Filled Bagels!

Just opened for about a month, Keen’s Bagelry occupies a small corner of Curbside Crafters, a marketplace featuring various local small businesses. Despite being a business graduate, Keen decided the corporate world just wasn’t for him. Instead, fuelled by his passion for baking, he undertook a baking internship. He decided to work on bagels as it requires less kitchen space, and Keen’s Bagelry was hence born.

The open kitchen allows you to have a front-row seat to the two-man team’s meticulous preparation process. While yes, it is not a first where bagelries call for your name when the bagels are ready, it was the little handwritten name, and “From Keen!” on the packaging that added an endearing personal touch. For those who love the ‘gram, or TikTok if you will, whip your cameras out for the classy showmanship that Keen puts on. He knows what’s up — he would even open up the cross-section and angle it towards your cameras! To me, what truly impressed me was the friendly team and that they genuinely make the customers feel like they are part of their journey. Rows of polaroids with customers and their bagels adorn the right side of the kitchen wall.

Now let’s talk about the bagels. They are freshly baked daily in their small kitchen, hence there’s a limited quantity every day. The bagels are proofed for 24 hours to maximise their flavours before heading into the oven the next morning.

I was most excited to try the Truffle Chicken ($12) and it did not disappoint. The chicken is marinated overnight, which made the flavours come through in each bite. The cherry on top has to be its tenderness — I half expected the entire chicken to be pulled along with the first bite and make a mess, but each bite cut the chicken off cleanly. Each bagel was also generously topped with their house-made truffle mayo that wasn’t gimmicky, packing a bright truffle flavour.

A bagel house staple, the Loxu ($13) contained the usual suspects of smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers. What I really enjoyed was the thickness of the salmon which gave a nice bite and the lemon juice squeezed on top provided a tartness to balance out the flavours.

The Bekki ($10.50) might look unassuming, but it was a delightful surprise. The scrambled eggs are freshly cooked for every order, and they sure were very creamy with the addition of mozzarella cheese. The beef bacon was caramelised on the outside, and its sweetness added a nice touch.

It was difficult to pick a favourite of the 3 — all the flavours were concocted well, and it was evident that quality ingredients were being used. If I had to nitpick, my only gripe would perhaps be the consistency of the bagels. 2 of mine were fluffy and soft, while one was on the denser side. That being said, for the price point, the generous amount of filling, and the passionate and warm service, this humble store is a must-try.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Ashley See

With a family that has a passion for food, food has always been a part of Ashley's life. If she's not busy testing out recipes in the kitchen, she can be found on a food adventure around the city.