What chef sundar says about bagel

Bagel for the bread buff

Great for breakfast or lunch, the burger's low-profile and subtler cousin, the bagel, is on The Oberoi's new menu

TASTY OPTIONS Bagels come with a variety of fillings Photo: Murali Kumar K.

The burger's European cousin is as filling but a little more subtle. Most people are fans of burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. They could add the bagel to this bread list. This fine European bread, very close to the burger and sandwich in form, and as good, if not better in taste, is on offer in a variety of pleasing flavours at The Oberoi's Polo Club.

The Polo Club, with its easy and relaxed ambience, the lawns and swimming pool by the side, has a bagel promo for precisely that reason — a relaxed, light, easy, and yet filling eat.

On offer are seven varieties of bagels that include five savoury and two sweet options. The bagels come with a variety of fillings. There is the benedict bagel topped with ham, poached egg and hollandaise, and the tenderloin bagel that comes with grilled tenderloin and caramelised onion and grain mustard. The seafood bagel with shrimps, tuna, and exotic smoked salmon with lettuce and dill butter, is a bagel that is much in demand and popular all over the world. The bagel chicken Supreme comes with three lovely layers of chicken — smoked chicken, chicken lyonner and roasted chicken with gherkin mustard.

The bagel with haloumi cheese has pan-fried haloumi cheese with roasted aubergine and marinated tomatoes. The chocolate bagel comes with chocolate chips and chocolate ice cream, and the absolutely delightful strawberry champagne bagel comes with fresh cream, strawberry and champagne with vanilla ice-cream.

Executive Chef Sundar Rajan Sudarshan says the bagel is a very light bread that is also filling. "It is great for breakfast — just right with coffee — and it also makes for a light lunch. The bagel is very comfortable on the stomach even if one does take an extra helping. We are persuading guests to go in for the bagel when they ask for burgers or sandwiches. In fact, it was one of our guests who came up with the bagel idea."

Delicious toppings

Chef Sudarshan says the bagel essentially has a hard crust and soft interior, unlike a burger, which has a very soft bun on the outside. The bagel is also served cold, while the burger is served hot. The bagel by and large doesn't come grilled, while the burger does. The inside of the bagel isn't cooked, while in the burger it is. "The bagel comes with a cold filling, but is fresh, easily digestible and healthy. The bagel prepared in the morning must be consumed by evening. The bagel is never meant for the next day. That's when you enjoy its flavour and taste."

The bagel also comes with any number of toppings from sesame seeds to pepper to powdered sugar. There is also the exotic garlic and black bean varieties of bagel. "The toppings make a lot of difference in taste and look compared to other breads," says Chef Sudarshan.

The hotel has a number of Europeans staying with it and the bagel is particularly popular among them. It has to be because the bagel is a Central European invention and the most popular bread in Europe, like the burger in the U.S. The idea is to make the bagel popular among Indian guests too, and not just cater to their European guests. The bagel promo is on till February 28. The menu is a la carte and one can pick from the regular beverage menu too.