Feigels’ bagels are true NY-style

WATER-GLAZE, CHEWY INSIDE, SWEETNESS Each week Marie-Lais looks out for the unusual, the unique, the downright quirky or just something or someone we might have had no idea about, even though we live here. We like to travel our own cities and their surro

agels, like baguettes, are the leavened bread varieties to which connoisseurs devote decades of research, discovering where perfect versions of these almost-staples may be had and, then, what makes them so extremely good.

Heather and I take the shortcut, looking at the research already done. We wind up at Feigels in Glenhazel.

Feigel was the bobba of Tamar Dakes, the fascinating owner of Feigels, along with partner, Neil. I love the name Feigel, which means ‘bird’ in Yiddish. This Lithuanian Feigel carried her food secrets on a long journey that led to building a new nest in Bloemfontein, before settling in Johannesburg. At one point Feigels was in Raleigh Street in Yeoville.

They’re hosting children in the courtyard today. A little girl is having her face painted so well she really does look like an orange kitty. As her mother tries for a selfie with her, she sees herself on the phone screen and bursts into frightened tears.

To appreciate the best Gauteng bagels, I’ve been reading the New York bagel research. After proving and before baking, bagels go into a pot of boiling water to plump into their rings. Heather and I see all this happening down the road at the kitchen shop, where Ntsoaki Molefe, aka Sunshine, is also a bagel queen. We meet Tamar’s parents. Patsy is Feigel’s daughter.

The boiling process is supposed to be par for the course, but there are many unboiled bagel imposters out there. Then there are three finer points to consider. The first is the beauty of the water-glaze. The second is the chewy inside. The third is a slight sweetness that may or not come from malt. This tasting seems to be matching my New York research and now I’m analysing the subtle sweetness. Feigels’ secret? A bit of orange juice in the dough. These may well be Gauteng’s best – and how can you beat the name, Feigels’ bagels?

Feigels, 3 Queen’s Place, Glenhazel