There are few definites when it came to things we missed while living in Malaysia, and a good bagel pretty much topped the list.  That’s not to say that we had good bagels all the time in DC either, but up there we were at least close enough to justify a jaunt to New York every once in awhile to pick up bagels here or here.

Our long national nightmare of sub-par substitutes for bagels in Southeast Asia came to a close when we returned home, and the search for our bagel spot was right up there with unpacking boxes and finding a preschool for the Gravy Baby (yes, you read that right; bagels = as important as childcare).

Top left: the Bagel Shop, streetside; top right: the hubby’s multigrain everything bagel with hot sauce seeping out; bottom, right: the selection available

So, on our very first cool weekend here in Charleston, we bundled up the Gravy Baby (read: we put him in pants AND a long-sleeved shirt for the first time, which might as well have been the equivalent of a baby straitjacket, so hated was this extra clothing) and headed downtown to The Bagel Shop.  The shop met our basic requirement of boiling, then baking their bagels, and they serve Intelligentsia coffee,  one of our favorite purveyors of fine coffee.

Our experience there didn’t disappoint, either.  My pumpernickel bagel had a glossy sheen to it that gave way to a satisfying crunch when I bit into it.  The insides were appropriately chewy, and I knew I liked whoever was steering the kitchen when my bagel sandwich arrived and had a fried egg nestled inside with a slightly runny yolk.  I have a huge weakness for thick, runny egg yolk; it’s like nectar of the gods for me.  Sidenote: I usually don’t order bagel sandwiches at bagel shops for the very reason that oftentimes I get disappointed when I find a hardened, overcooked and flattened scrambled egg slapped on top of a cold strip of bacon.  Talk about starting your day wrong.

But I digress.  Along with thin slices of Taylor Ham and creamy Havarti cheese (Havarti, I think, is a seriously overlooked cheese that takes on a whole new quality when it’s melted), I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich and we found a serious contender for our new favorite bagel stop.  It’s the first place we’ve tried in Charleston, so it might be a tad early to call the race now.

Maybe I’ll just have to try The Bagel Shop again to make sure.  And again.  And again.

The Bagel Shop | 41 George Street #A | Charleston, SC

PS – don’t forget to enter the placemat giveaway!