TASTE of Manchester can’t recall a vegan option during a visit to Katz’s Deli on New York’s Lower East Side. Serving up pastrami sandwiches and hot dogs since 1888, they now apparently get through 5,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of salami and 12,000 hot dogs a week. And an equally vast amount of bagels. Plus they achieved worldwide fame as the location for Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm in ‘When Harry Met Sally’.
So no pressure there then on The Bagel Shop by Eat New York on ‘Lower East Oldham Street’, smart permanent home for a street food operation founded in November 2015. Indeed they can boast they are one step ahead in the plant-based sector, offering a bagel loaded with vegan tempura aubergine, chipotle and smoked baba ganoush.
Yet despite the wealth of treats on offer – notably bagels baked fresh every day, locally sourced salt beef brisket cured for seven days then slow roasted and steamed) – ToM was only every going to get orgasmic about their classic Reuben sandwich. Two weeks in the making it yokes together hot stacked pastrami sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. The pastrami is from 14 day salt cured American brisket, given a secret spice rub, then smoked in-house for 15 hours.
How we resisted the £15 half-pounder, we’ll never know, but the £7.50 quarter was hugely authentic and satisfying. As good as Katz’s? Now we wouldn’t want them to send the boys round, would we?
The Bagel Shop, 64 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE. 0800 689 3896. From 11am. Sun-Thur 11am-10pm, Fri and Sat 11am-2am. Get there early for the Reubens. They only make 50 a day.