While trekking back to King on Locke from my visit to Finch, an unfamiliar orange sign had caught my attention. The compact shop displayed "Locke St Bakery - Bagels and Cream Cheese" clearly printed in bold white lettering atop a bold orange background.
Having made a mental note about the cozy, family-style bagel stop, I took to realizing the experience upon my next trip to Locke Street.
During my brief stay, I noticed that several customers filled large brown paper bags with bagels to take them to-go. Few actually opted for a bagel-and-cream-cheese combo at that point of the day, though I may have just missed the hungry - or should I say, hangry? - morning rush.
While the older lady had thanked me for my business, this man did not. My order was hurriedly wrapped in checkered serving paper, then tossed onto the top of the counter without another word. A "thank you" was definitely lacking in this scenario.
The Pumpernickel Bagel was a tad soggy despite having been toasted, emerging as a rather chewy challenge to consume. Apricot and Honey Cream Cheese, on the other hand, was actually quite glorious - it was similar to Tim Horton's strawberry spread, but without the icky artificial aftertaste.
Unfortunately, it later occurred to me that the ingredients utilized in these supposedly different drinks were, in fact, largely similar. The sole hint of creativity was in the item names themselves.