Two Men Bagel House x Forged by Vow: One-of-a-kind bagels with cultured quail
Did you know that cultured meat — as it’s more colloquially known, lab-grown meat — is not just something from Science Fiction? It’s been growing in popularity and is even available in Singapore!
Want a taste? Popular homegrown bagel brand Two Men Bagel House is collaborating with Forged by Vow to serve limited-time, one-of-a-kind sandwiches!
If you haven’t been paying attention, Sydney-based company Vow would probably have slipped under your radar.
But this company is a trailblazer in the food industry, known for creating sustainable food items from animal cells, with Forged by Vow being its first product and was released in Singapore last April.
This team-up is a big step for the brand: Prior to this, Forged by Vow worked with higher-end dining establishments such as Mandala Club and Somma, so this partnership sees the brand reaching out to a wider audience.
For this collab, diners can expect two original creations from Two Men Bagel House that incorporate Forged by Vow’s cultured Japanese quail — one using “Forged gras” (fatty quail liver) and Forged parfait (resembling liver parfait).
If you’re someone who struggles to resist the melt-in-mouth allure of foie gras, but is put off by the practices behind its production, this might just be the guilt-free food you’re looking for.
Foie-king Parf-ect
The Two Men Bagel House and Forged by Vow collaboration launches on March 1, starting with the Foie King (S$21) sandwich, which will be available for the whole month at all TMBH outlets.
After that, Two Men Bagel House will be bringing another creation, the Parf-ect (S$18), that’s exclusive to the Boutiques Fair Summer Edition held from March 21 to 23.
In April, Two Men Bagel House will be releasing another Forged by Vow collab sandwich that also uses the Forged parfait.
Details will be announced at a later date.
With all that said, while these sandwiches intrigue us, we understand many consumers might initially be wary of these rather unconventional ingredients.
If you’re one of them, read on to see what we thought of the Two Men Bagel House x Forged by Vow specials!
Foie King
What is it? The first item of the Two Men Bagel House x Forged by Vow collab is a sandwich featuring beef skirt steak, cheddar cheese, honey mustard, jalapeno relish, and Forged gras.
What does it taste like? This is one decadent sandwich. First of all, the Forged gras tastes like a milder version of the real thing. It’s flavoursome, but not overwhelmingly fatty. The texture is lighter, while remaining buttery and gently melt-in-mouth, with a bit of tofu-esque softness.
Pairing it with the steak introduces a satisfying dose of beefy richness, with the honey mustard and relish adding tang, acidity and spice for balance and to cut through those heavy flavours.
Did we like it? The flavours work wonderfully and the Forged gras was a pleasant surprise, especially since there’s much less of a jelak factor.
Our only complaint was that the steak gave our incisors a bit of a hard time, as we struggled to gnaw through the meat — which was a good medium-rare, but somewhat fibrous — especially since the bagel itself is already chewy. Nonetheless, it’s something we would eat again.
Parf-ect
What is it? It’s an open-faced bagel sandwich, where everything is stacked atop a single slice of bagel. This one comes with a base of duck rillette and finished with Forged parfait, peanut furikake, truffle honey, microgreens, and edible flowers.
What does it taste like? Just in case you’re not one for liver parfait, this sweet-savoury creation by Two Men Bagel House focuses on masking any of that musky scent you’d associate with it.
The rillette-and-honey base provides a delectable mix of sweet and savoury, while the peanut furikake layers harmoniously over the parfait with its nutty fragrance.
The entire ensemble tastes surprisingly Asian, reminiscent of the sweeter-tasting char siew baos or Taiwanese gua bao (pork belly buns served with coriander and ground peanuts).
Did we like it? This one is for people who appreciate a mix of sweet and savoury. We feel it may be a bit too much for one person to stomach alone, but if you have someone to split it with, while at Boutiques Fair, it’s worth a try.
This was an invited tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on what to expect at the Kampong Gelam bazaar and Singapore’s new cave-inspired restaurant.
Two Men Bagel House is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.
Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.
You can also book a ride to Two Men Bagel House to try the Forged by Vow collab specials.
Two Men Bagel House
Multiple stores islandwide
Open: Operating hours vary across outlets
Multiple stores islandwide
Open: Operating hours vary across outlets
Evan Mua
Author
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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