PETALING JAYA, June 17 — Mention a bagel and two words immediately come to mind: chewy and long queue. 

Sure enough, that’s what you get at Sonny Bagel Shop, the latest addition to the Klang Valley’s booming bagel scene and there’s a reason for this if you read further along. 

But the big question on everyone’s mind is: Is the wait worth it?

Since it just opened, the overwhelming response fueled by hype and curiosity, has caused long wait times. 

Perhaps give them time and avoid peak times, like lunch and weekends. 

For this review, I visited three times. The sweet spot is definitely early when they open for a quick breakfast as their dine-in area isn’t very large. 

Baking seven bagel flavours fresh every day — plain, sesame, everything, black olive, poppy seed, Cheddar jalapeno and cinnamon raisin — is a hefty task. 

Bagels take time and space, making them unlike a normal bakery that can easily churn out trays of shio pan. 

The dough needs to be mixed and proofed overnight. Once ready, it must be rolled and shaped by hand, risen again, boiled and baked. 

These multiple procedures mean some bagel shops run out of bagels quickly if time, space, or manpower hampers them. 

The menu offers many permutations: you can have your bagel with a choice of spreads, in a sandwich (sweet or savoury), or even as a pizza. 

Oven baked bagels are RM9 each, while the wood fired version costs an extra RM3. 

The wood-fired bagel is randomly selected; for instance, one time it might be the poppy seed bagel and another time the plain bagel. 

You won’t get distinct smoky flavours but the time in the wood-fired oven gives it a crispier crust. 

Your friend is the cashier in this case, guiding you on which types of bagels fit your sandwich choice or even spreads. 

Pricing ranges from a straightforward bagel with butter or jam (fig or strawberry) for RM14 to the Holy Lox (smoked salmon and cream cheese) or the Philly Cheesesteak (beef, cheddar, and pickle) for RM34 each. 

It’s impossible to eat my way through the whole menu but favourites I would return for again and again are the Holy Lox (RM34), Happy Mushroom (RM27) and Strawberry Matcha (RM24). 

Holy Lox is the classic pairing of smoked salmon with a smear of scallion cream cheese and sprigs of fresh dill, capers and red onion add a slight piquancy to cut through the richness.   

Because it’s served separately rather than as a stacked sandwich, this makes it easier to slowly relish the crispy crust with the chewiness. 

Happy Mushroom isn’t the type to make you hallucinate but these well-sautéed mushrooms, stringy double mozzarella, hash brown and a healthy green dose of rocket will make you smile. 

One note though: the aioli seems light on truffle, but that’s not a bad thing, as too much would make this bagel sandwich feel artificial. 

Philly Cheesesteak (RM34) failed to impress, the whole pairing of sliced beef, caramelised onion, capsicum, jalapeño, and double Cheddar did not work together cohesively.

To balance the savoury choices, my pick for something sweet would be the glorious Strawberry Matcha (RM24).  

A generous matcha cream cheese with chopped pistachios was the highlight of this cinnamon raisin bagel sandwich, which gained a fruity sweetness from the strawberry jam. 

I would have thought the flavour of a cinnamon raisin bagel would clash, but the cinnamon flavour is mild enough not to be intrusive.

Other sweet choices include a Maple Pecan and a classic pairing of Peanut Butter & Jam (RM18), which delivers with a thick, fragrant peanut butter. 

Java fanatics will be happy to hear that their coffee is also pretty good as the people behind this bagel shop operate Optimist Coffee. 

Service is also top notch despite the long wait times for a seat. 

As the bagel shop is right at the back of JAM PJ (formerly Gasket Alley), the fastest way to access it from the front is to walk down the side lane used for parking.

Check the bagel shop’s Instagram for updates to stay informed as they tend to sell out before closing time.

Sonny Bagel Shop

No. 15, JAM PJ, 

LG01 & LG02, Lower Ground Level

Lot 68, Jalan 13/6, 

Section 13, Petaling Jaya.

Open: 9am to 5pm or when bagels sell out. Closed on Monday.

Tel: 014- 3246618

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Instagram: @sonnybagelshop