KM Bagel & Waffle: Burger-style zhng-ed bagels and waffles with orh luak & lobster, available via islandwide delivery
Bagels have always been my favourite brunch item, but I’ve never been able to wake up early enough to beat the queues. Thankfully, Singapore’s first bagel and waffle bar, KM Bagel & Waffle, has just launched their islandwide delivery service so you can indulge in their unique creations from the comfort of your home!
Loyal fans will be familiar with this bagel and waffle bar, which was officially launched in October 2021 at Tanjong Pagar Plaza selling one-of-a-kind bagels and waffles in a swanky bar-like setting.
How unique are their bagels and waffles, you might ask? Designed to be eaten just like a burger, it comes with unique fillings such as braised beef cheeks with sesame bagels, Boston lobsters with scrambled eggs sandwiched between potato and bacon waffles, and even tuna tataki with wasabi mayo and waffles.
Starting July 2022, KM Bagel & Waffle will be offering their à la carte dishes via its islandwide delivery service during the day, with its current venue in the heartland of Singapore’s CBD serving as a delivery pick-up location (though the possibility of having à la carte dine-in in the future hasn’t been ruled out yet!).
As night falls, its 15-seater restaurant (which has a circular bagel-shaped bar, by the way!) will be transformed into a new dining concept in August 2022, where its current 5-Course Chef’s Curation will be elevated into an entirely new experience, complete with theme!
What I tried at KM Bagel & Waffle
I was invited to try KM Bagel & Waffle’s à la carte menu, and I started the ball rolling with its signature Lobster (S$28)— a towering mountain of Boston lobster, miso-infused scrambled eggs, tobiko, furikake, and two thick slices of Potato and Bacon Waffle (additional S$2).
Every single element of this hearty dish was done so superbly that I could eat all of it on its own.
The scrambled eggs were soft, buttery and silky, with a faint hint of umami from the miso, and I could taste the natural briny sweetness from the tender Boston lobster. To top it all off, the Potato and Bacon Waffle was fluffy and slightly salty, making every single bite feel like I had just been enveloped in a soft and warm hug.
The flavours were well-balanced while the textures complemented each other perfectly, making the Lobster a fantastically comforting and delicious waffle to have, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Confidently, I declared this as my favourite dish of the day, despite the fact that I’ve only just begun eating.
KM Bagel & Waffle’s Beef (S$26) came with braised beef cheek, which had been marinated for two whole days and placed in the oven overnight for 10 hours, cherry tomatoes roasted with maple syrup and salt, pickled pearl onions and alfalfa, sandwiched between a Sesame Bagel (additional S$2).
This was head chef Jeremy’s personal favourite, so I had high hopes for this dish.
There was no easy way to eat this bagel. I ended up eating each component bit by bit, though those with a bigger appetite (and mouth) might want to attempt chowing this down as if it were a burger.
The hero of the dish was the braised beef cheek. Hands down. It broke apart on my fork, and melted in a delicious buttery way when I placed it in my mouth. It reminded me of oxtail, and was full of meaty and savoury flavours. This is braised meat at its best, and honestly I wouldn’t expect any less, considering it had been in the oven for 10 whole hours!
The other elements of the dish supported the beef slices well, and in particular, I enjoyed the pickled pearl onions, which were zesty and piquant, and burst in my mouth like boba.
Next on the agenda was KM Bagel & Waffle’s Tuna (S$24). Sitting on top of a plain waffle were slices of marinated and torched tuna tataki, wasabi mayonnaise, orange tomato shiso salsa, charred corn, and tobiko.
KM Bagel & Waffle was inspired by tuna tataki, which is tuna that’s gently seared on the outside while remaining raw on the inside.
This dish proved to be a hit with my dining companions, who enjoyed how the Japanese flavours fused seamlessly together with the waffle. Personally, as a sashimi lover, I appreciated how the tuna tataki was slightly firm but melted in my mouth, and had a smoky tinge on the outside that mellowed out to a natural sweetness.
The last main dish I tried was KM Bagel & Waffle’s Crab (S$24), a massive burger-like bagel that featured a whole soft shell crab, ajitama, mesclun salad, mango salsa, and a slaw that had strips of mango, carrot and cucumber.
My advice would be to throw all caution out the window and simply bite into it as if it were a burger, so that you’d get to enjoy all the elements together— the freshly toasted bagel, crunchy soft shell crab, tangy and appetising slaw, and of course, the eggy sweetness from the ajitama.
This was a pretty damn good bagel, which turned out to be one of our messiest because of the slaw and ajitama, so have some tissues or wet wipes on hand (or head to the kitchen if you’re devouring this monster of a bagel from home). One of KM Bagel & Waffle’s founders, Keith, even came up with a special term for this— messy 不够 (aka not messy enough)!
If you’re ordering to share between family and friends, try KM Bagel & Waffle’s appetisers as well, such as its Wakame (S$12).
Comprising Japanese kelp, charred corn, Japanese daikon, tobiko, bonito flakes and furikake, this was a great appetiser to start our meal with because it was such an umami bomb of Japanese flavours that were coupled with a well-needed crunch.
Alternatively, you can try KM Bagel & Waffle’s Oyster (S$12), which is inspired by the traditional orh luak, aka oyster omelette.
It comes with a waffle that has oysters directly mixed into the batter, egg floss, coriander, and a housemade sambal chilli.
For those of you who love orh luak, this dish will be right up your alley. While the waffle itself was crunchy, the oyster crept in as a subtle smoky sweetness. There was a mild brininess from the oyster which wasn’t very obvious, and the crispy egg floss provided a well-needed savoury kick.
Be sure to pair the waffle with KM Bagel & Waffle’s housemade chilli, which tasted of rich sambal and peppered spice, and reminded me of smoky and sweet nasi lemak chilli.
While I’m not a huge fan of coriander, I highly suggest alternating it with every bite so as to balance out the fried goodness from the waffle, oyster and egg floss with its bright herb-like flavours.
Just when I thought KM Bagel & Waffle was done surprising me, they served us the Bagel Bread Pudding (S$16), which came with an adorable mini stack of bagel-inspired bread pudding, candied walnuts, pistachio white chocolate paste, coffee creme anglaise, and a Silican pistachio gelato.
The pistachio gelato was rich and silky, with a pleasant nutty aftertaste that went well with the soft and slightly chewy bagel bread pudding. And yes, you read me right— they actually made bread pudding from a bagel!
I ended the meal with the Orange Mochi Waffle (S$14). I’ve never had mochi waffles before, but this converted me into an instant fan.
While the waffle had a crisp exterior, its interior was chewy— just like mochi— with a mildly sweet taste that had hints of orange zest. Pair it together with the classic French vanilla gelato and vanilla chantilly for an all-rounded dessert.
Final thoughts
At the end of each meal, it’s customary for me to ask my dining companions what their favourite dish was. Shah immediately went with the Beef, praising its tender slices of beef cheek (which he gladly polished off), while Rachel enjoyed the Crab for the appetising and yummy slaw. As for me, I stuck with my original choice of the Lobster waffle for its buttery and comforting flavours, and I absolutely loved how tasty the Potato and Bacon Waffle was.
Stepping into KM Bagel & Waffle truly changed my perspective on the good ‘ol bagel and waffle. It’s certainly a novel idea to zhng up brunch favourites such as bagels and waffles, which are typically served at your favourite cafe, and it’s safe to say that KM Bagel & Waffle executed each glorious dish superbly well.
Now that KM Bagel & Waffle has launched its islandwide delivery service, there’s no guessing what I’m going to order tomorrow. My only hope would be that these scrumptious creations would travel well, but thankfully, the team will provide heating instructions to ensure that the waffles will turn out crispy and yummy, even after a night in the fridge.
Just a note that they’re currently in their soft launch stage, and that their official launch with customised eco-friendly packaging will take place around late July or early August. A rebranding is also in the works— KM Bagel & Waffle will be called Bagel & Waffle by KMgroup, where they’ll focus solely on islandwide delivery, with a one-hour lead time on Oddle. Check out their dedicated Instagram page for more information!
PROMO: From now till 17 July 2022, use the promo code “SETHLUI05” to enjoy 5% off your total bill (min. spend S$50)! This one-time promo code is not valid with other promo codes.
Expected damage: S$12 – S$28 per pax
* This post was brought to you in partnership with KM Bagel & Waffle.
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