This fried chicken bagel is unreal, leading N.J. shop’s wild twists on N.J. classic

Bagels. We love them. A classic everything bagel stuffed with pork roll, egg and oozing with a melty cheese or even a plain bagel stuffed to the max with a heaping spread of cream cheese.

Now Tiam Tiam in Harrison is taking the Jersey classic in an innovative direction. Owners and husband and wife, Jesse and Jennifer Kimm have created four Asian-inspired bagel flavors for their Sunday brunch menu – triple taro, Taiwanese popcorn fried chicken, longanisa (Filipino-style sausage) and brown sugar milk tea boba.

READ MORE: N.J.’s 51 best bagel shops, ranked for 2024

Jennifer Kim told NJ Advance Media that each individual flavor has its own inspiration.

“We just love taro, so I was like let’s go all taro. Everyone likes boba. The Taiwanese fried chicken one has flavors similar to what you find in the street food in Taiwan. For the longanisa one, we have an employee who’s Filipino and she talks about longanisa all the time,” said Jennifer Kim.

I was already a fan of their wild brunch on Sundays so I was intrigued when they started posting these bagels on their Instagram page a couple months ago. For now, all the bagels are plain and are sourced from nearby shops.

The triple taro bagel ($8) features a taro spread, taro cream cheese and topped with taro balls. As a lover of the versatile root vegetable, I was obsessed with this. It was slightly nutty and subtly sweet with light notes of vanilla.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese popcorn fried chicken, or T.F.C. bagel ($9), was stuffed with a basil cream cheese, chopped basil and of course, Taiwanese popcorn fried chicken. The chicken was savory, tender and juicy with the basil component adding a satisfying refreshing, herbal take on the whole bagel. This was my favorite of the bunch.

I was especially thrilled about the brown sugar milk tea boba bagel ($7), featuring a decadent milk tea-infused cream cheese and topped with brown sugar boba. It tasted just like my favorite bubble tea, but transformed into a bagel. I truly savored every bite. The cream cheese was so rich and was not overwhelmingly sweet. The boba was also cooked perfectly with a chewy texture.

Finally, the longanisa bagel ($8.50), an ode to my Filipino heritage, stacks longanisa, egg, cheese and a smear of garlic aioli. The sweet sausage brought me back to the Philippines but with an Americanized twist. It was amazingly flavorful with the tender fried egg and melted cheese. Jesse Kim says the bagel is still a work in progress and is hoping to add something more. Maybe some green onions for color?

These bagels are currently offered exclusively during Sunday brunch, with typically one savory and one sweet option available each week. According to the couple, Tiam Tiam hopes to make them a regular breakfast item once they have more staff.

When that time comes, I’ll be sure to make an early drive just to get my hands on these delicious bagels again.

More Asian food stories

• Catch your own fish at this 1-of-a-kind N.J. seafood restaurant
• Beloved N.J. Indian restaurant known for insanely spicy curry is closing for good
• A robot fries your chicken at this inventive new N.J. restaurant
• 200-year-old N.J. hotel’s restaurant transformed by new owner, finds delicious new life | Review
• New N.J. Asian restaurant offers delicious twist on hot pot | Review

Stories by Lauren Musni

• N.J.’s best new steakhouse carves out its own identity with a Mexican twist | Review
• Oreo, brownie and French toast pizza? N.J. shop is slinging sweet dessert pies.
• Red Bank’s 11 best restaurants, ranked, for 2025

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Lauren Musni may be reached at lmusni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.