Smith's Bagelry

Bakery: Smith's Bagelry
Address: 191 W Broadway, Vancouver BC 
Website: http://www.smithsbagelry.com/
Style: Turkish, Greek 
Price: $$-$$$ 

I've come across quite a few unlikely finds at bagel joints: here is another one. On the outside, Smith's is as bagel joint as it gets - they even have displayed outdoors for purchase. Inside, well, with its counter of Turkish sweet and savoury treats, it appears that "Smith" isn't the name of the family running the place - and of course I mean that in the most positive sense. Unfortunately, that counter is actually filled mostly with savoury pogaca and bourek, both available in several varieties. The sweets consist mostly of classic baklava, tulumba (called "Turkish churros" in-store) and a few couple types of cake, sold in slices (that could be a little bigger ^^).

I was going to go with the baklava when I noticed the man in front of me take two slices of banana cheesecake. I myself am not a banana person, but their cheesecake - also available in plain - looked amazing! And I happen to be a cheesecake expert. So one slice of San Sebastian cheesecake ($4.49) it was. A little too blackened on top was the only minus here; this was one delicious slice of cheesecake. The texture and amount of cheese were perfect: not too thick, only slightly crumbly. To top things off it was soaked in a sugar syrup similar to what you'd find in a baklava and there was just a hint of pooling at the bottom - incredible. Local cafe Trees (future Cake Tour post) claims on each of their stores that they have the best cheesecake in Vancouver; I was skeptical before I tried and I now know it to be wrong: the best cheesecake in Vancouver is found at Smith's.

Rating: ***1/2