The Dennistoun eatery is officially the carb king.
After a month-long championship of bagel making alchemy that saw four Glasgow food favourites battle it out in a test of fillings, flavour, flair and fans, Dennistoun’s Scran Glasgow was officially crowned the winner of the Bagel Games 2021 at a carb-fuelled closing ceremony on August 29. Edinburgh entrepreneur Larah ‘Mama’ Bross teamed up with a collective of Glasgow’s food favourites to launch the ultimate battle of the bagels during the month of August.
Four Glasgow venues competed consecutively to create the ultimate golden hole – a gold medal-winning bagel filling, fit for a queen – or in this case fit for the bagel queen herself – Mama Bross. Between August 4 and 29, each of the four venues took it in turns at creating their very own twist on the ultimate bagel filling to perfectly complement Bross’ authentic, traditional Montreal-style bagels.
The competing formidable foursome included Box Hub Glasgow, Scran Glasgow, Baby Grand and Thundercat Pub & Diner, who each showcased their bagel creations throughout the month of August.
But it was Dennistoun eatery, Scran Glasgow, who beat off hot bagel-making competition to secure the bagel crown, and as a result, their winning entry – the ‘Molto Bene Bagel’ will feature on the Bross Bagels menu for a hole year. The award-winner features an everything Bross Bagel with eight-hour Porchetta stuffed with garlic, rosemary and parmesan; folded egg; candied pine nuts; Perello Gordal olive tapenade; whipped goat’s cheese; Parmesan crisp; rocket in basil oil; and charred il peperone.
The competing formidable foursome put their hearts and holes into creating a compilation of show-stopping, hunger-staving bagels that all impressed the judges, as well as Glasgow locals across the city. The five key judging criteria included; taste, presentation, popularity, creativity and social awareness.
Following the popularity among Glasgow foodies, Box Hub Glasgow will continue to offer Bross Bagels on their menu, with plans for the authentic, Montreal bagels to become a fixture on the other contenders’ menus soon. The eatery’s entry was ‘The Box Hub Bagel Special’, a vegan Bross bagel for Glasgow plant-lovers, served with kimchi marinated tofu, baby spinach, pickled carrots, crispy onions and ginger soy dressing.
The two other entries in this battle of bagels included Baby Grand, who served up the ‘Big Baby Grand Bagel’ – a sesame Bross bagel with smoked salmon, homemade egg mayo, asparagus, a soft hen’s egg and salmon caviar. And for the final weekend, Glasgow’s city centre pub and diner, Thundercat, brought the competition to a roaring close with their Thundercat Salt Beef Bagel – 7-day cured salt beef brisket, pickled cabbage, spiced Thundercat butter, American mustard and dill pickles served on a Bross pretzel bagel.
Their creations were judged by a six-person panel, who were in search of the bagel to beat all bagels, filled with the tastiest ingredients to match Bross’ legendary hand-crafted Montreal bagels. The judging panel for the battle of the bagels featured the likes of Bross Bagels founder Larah ‘Mama’ Bross, Glasgow food influencers Glasgow Food Geek and Chris Eats Glasgow, as well as a special guest yet to be revealed.
Bross Bagels hand-rolls their own authentic, Montreal bagels every day in their dedicated Edinburgh bakery. Boiled and baked to give them a chewy golden exterior with a fluffy soft middle, the bagels are available from five shops across Edinburgh and for nationwide, next day delivery.