Whatever the weather, our bagel hunt continues. This week we followed our noses back to familiar ground, the cosy East End, to assess yet another Ebenezer institution dishing up our favourite midweek pick-me-up.

Rise and shine! Well, it’s nice in theory but with weather like this the only real thing getting us out of bed on this doozy of a day is the promise of a bagel.

The weather is possibly the worst it’s been all winter – cyclonic, grey, along with some heavy downpours. But we are raring to go, or eat, rather.

We brace ourselves and get blown all the way down Ebenezer Place, and into the safety of SAD Café. But this is no chance encounter.

We have been hearing that SAD offers some of the meanest bagels around town. So it’s about time we came and checked them out.

First things first, we order what is the perfect bagel accompaniment, a big cup of long black (and a latte) made with Dawn Patrol beans. It tides us over just long enough to see the bagels delivered to the table.

SAD Café’s bagel menu is written up on a big chalkboard, offering many different options, toppings, spreads and sauces. More of a mix and match approach, so the decision is all yours.

We take the boys’ recommendations and let them dish up their favourite combinations. And they do not disappoint.

Both bagels are served open with toppings piled high. The bagels themselves are sourced from Bella, a local, small batch baker supplying a few places around town, including Monday’s Coffee Store.

We dig in to our first plate – a sesame bagel with a thick cream cheese schmear, giant pieces of fanned avocado and chunks of hot smoked trout. It’s a monster and best tackled by hand (don’t even bother fiddling with cutlery). This flavour combo could best be compared to the traditional smoked salmon bagel, but it goes a step beyond – we love the flaky pieces of trout. And really who can go past cream cheese? It’s a must.

Now on to the second, poppy seed topped with mushroom pate, spicy chorizo, large slabs of fried haloumi and tomatoes of every colour. It’s a mouthful. But the smooth haloumi and crispy fried chorizo are a match made in heaven.

Each bagel is a meal in itself. And by the time we finish both (plus a few coffees) we are well and truly stuffed.

Being self-proclaimed bagel connoisseurs, we are starting to really notice what distinguishes a good bagel from a great one. And this being our second try of Bella’s bagels, we can whole-heartedly say that these are great.

We are delighted to see that SAD Café also offer a blueberry, sundried tomato, and fig and walnut option. So we will surely return.

Hopefully even just the thought of a warm, toasted fig and walnut bagel with a generous schmear of cream cheese will get us through until Friday – rain, hail or shine.