(Courtesy of BagelBagel)

Layers of sautéed thinly sliced steak and mushroom, topped with melted cheese, a heavenly sensation right from the first bite.

The Philly cheese steak sandwich-style bagel is one of the top selling items at Jakarta’s BagelBagel, one of the bagel shops in town.

The ring-shaped bagel, a popular breakfast item in the US and is believed to originate from Yiddish society, is now spreading around the world, including Jakarta.

Since it was first set up in Jakarta last year, BagelBagel has found a brilliant way to merge New York-style bagels and bagel sandwiches with Indonesian tastes.

Serving fresh baked bagels, this establishment offers food lovers a plethora of options, from plain, cheese, onion, poppy seed, sesame seed, cranberry, cinnamon raisin, chocolate chip, whole wheat to “everything” (onion, garlic, poppy seed, salt and sesame seed).

In the sandwich division, the Philly cheese steak comes with a sesame seed bagel and is a great choice for both bagel lovers and newbies. Its original flavor blends with local ingredients to make it a perfect dish for breakfast, lunch and even dinner.

For the classic “Lox”, BagelBagel nails the idea of serving imported smoked salmon without a fishy taste at all. Using the famous Philadelphia cream sauce and imported capers, the Lox is the Big Apple’s favorite bagel with a local twist.

(Courtesy of BagelBagel)The sandwich list includes egg, bacon and cheese, smoked beef or ham and cheese, tuna salad, spicy Thai chicken (grilled chicken breast, lettuce and tomato with tangy Thai sauce) and the ultimate veggie (sautéed carrots, onions, mushroom, potato, lettuce, red and green peppers).

For sweet delights, BagelBagel recommends Banana Caramel and cream cheese, which is perfect for breakfast or a light afternoon meal. BagelBagel’s signature drinks such as the soothing, homemade Thai ice tea or Thai ice coffee should not be missed.

Lox. (Courtesy of BagelBagel)Brenda Rumahlewang, one of BagelBagel’s four owners, said the place offers some Thai-styled options since one of them, Krismalina Sinaga, is of Thai descent.

“Krismalina produces the homemade Thai iced coffee and tea. We know bagels have nothing to do with Thailand but we found they’re tasty enough,” Brenda said during an interview at its Kemang outlet.

Besides Brenda and Krismalina, the other two owners are Fathia Syarif and Sari Nila Warsono and together, they call themselves the “bagel mamas”. Three of them had lived in the US for sometime while Nila is a regular visitor to the country. On returning home to Jakarta, they tried to find New York-style bagels and it was difficult — not many dedicated themselves to selling bagels. “So we decided to make our own,” Fathia says.

Now, BagelBagel has two outlets, one in Kemang and another at Imagerie Fairgrounds in Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) in South Jakarta, with the Kemang store open as early as 6 a.m.

With its rising popularity, BagelBagel has just bought and built a mobile outlet, a food truck called MoBagel that will travel around the Greater Jakarta area. “We will inform of its location on our Twitter account, @Bagel2Bagel. It’s basically our active effort to get closer to customers.”

Not too far away, in Kemang, another outlet, Bagel and Friends, is ready to pamper bagel lovers at its sleek, modern, stylish establishment.

Serving primarily bagels and bagel sandwiches, the four-month-old restaurant also provides other bread-based meals, including the Italian sandwich panini.

Inside, a plate displaying a sliced bagel filled with cream cheese, whipped cream, slices of strawberry and strawberry looks like a truly fun treat.

Like other bagel outlets, Bagel and Friends also promotes Lox, the Loxurious Bagel, as the main item from its kitchen. “If you ask for a signature bagel sandwich, it has got to be the Lox and we use Norwegian salmon,” owner Enos J. Sinuraya says.

Another star in the outlet is Bagelicious, a sliced bagel filled with an over easy egg, onion slices, smoked beef, cream cheese and black pepper sauce.

“Western cuisine has a wide range of sauces. To my knowledge, black pepper is the most welcomed by Indonesians. I thought it was good enough to put it as a filling,” said Enos, who has background in food and beverage.

He said he chose the over easy egg to avoid the hassle while eating it on the go. “The bagel is basically a grab and go food, so we made it simpler,” he says.

Bagel and Friends bagels come in naked plain, poppy seed, sesame seed, whole wheat, onion, everything, cheese and cinnamon raisin, ciabatta, focaccia and a cup of cream cheese (for one bread) flavors.

The bagels at Bagel and Friends come with catchy names, such as Exotic Bagel (onion slices, cream cheese, lettuce, tuna mayonnaise), Healthy Bagel (cream cheese, paprika slices, tomato slices, kyuri slices and onion slices) and Triple C Bagel (chocolate crackers, whipped cream and chocolate ganache).

On the Friends side, the diner offers a fulfilling menu, from Paninilicious to rib eye steak, while to drink, the place’s highlight includes the refreshing lemon grass twista, a drink of lemon grass, orange leaves, simple syrup, soda and ice blocks.

BagelBagel: Jl. Benda No. 14D Kemang, South Jakarta. Phone 7818769 / 36252345; imagerie Fairgrounds, Lot. 14 SCBD, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Jav. 52-53, South Jakarta. Phone 5150250

Bagel and Friends: Jl. Kemang Raya Selatan No. 11, South Jakarta. Phone: 49700099