“No Diet Coke, no skim milk, no low fat cheese, no credit cards,” reads the menu at Toasteria (吐司利亞), which is devoted to one thing: grilled cheese sandwiches.
The concept behind this sandwich bar is simplicity, but its charm lies in the opportunity to indulge in comfort. On offer are nearly 20 different kinds of sandwiches, cooked on small panini-style grills, and made with five kinds of cheeses, fresh vegetables, light meats, and spreads.
Grilled cheese is “the perfect meal” to proprietor Tomer Feldman, who created the menus at Citizen Cain (國民) and the Sababa (沙巴巴) restaurants. Although he studied culinary arts and worked as a chef in New York City for over 10 years, the Israeli native knew that he would return to “his roots” — the sandwich.
PHOTO: DAVID CHEN, TAIPEI TIMES
“[With this place I wanted to offer] simple things that make people happy,” he says.
Toasteria, which lies on an alley off of Zhongxiao East Road (忠孝東路), is basically a bar squeezed into a four-ping (13m²) storefront. But Feldman uses the space well and manages to create a warm and welcoming vibe. Soft lighting illuminates the copper-top bar, which is already forming a nice, weathered patina. Bar stools are padded with soft vinyl cushions. In front of the bar, there is a small deck area with two sets of tables and chairs.
Sitting at the bar, I smelled coffee and the savory scent of butter and cheese cooking. At times, the music (vintage jazz and blues the day I went) blared just above conversational level, but it did block out the din of cars and scooters outside.
I had the feta pesto (NT$95) sandwich, which had feta cheese, roasted red peppers, shitake mushrooms, and a pesto sauce with a generous amount of garlic. The flavors were well-balanced, with nothing overpowering, and the bread was just right — not too sweet, as is often the case in Taiwan. Each sandwich comes with a small dish of pickles and green olives, soaked in an oil and vinegar recipe from Feldman’s family.
Among Toasteria’s other sandwich selections: classic grilled cheese (NT$70) and smoked salmon tapenade (NT$105), which has feta, roasted peppers and tapenade, an olive paste. Diners looking for something different can try the grapa (NT$105), which is made from gouda, red-wine onion jam, roasted garlic and fresh basil.
Fries and simple salads are also available, and there is a modest selection of beverages: espresso, soft drinks, teas, Kirin beer and red wine.
To get there on the MRT, go to Zhongxiao-Dunhua Station (blue line), leave the station at Exit No. 3, and walk straight ahead along Zhongxiao East. Turn right at Lane 248, just before Yanji Street (延吉街).
Most heroes are remembered for the battles they fought. Taiwan’s Black Bat Squadron is remembered for flying into Chinese airspace 838 times between 1953 and 1967, and for the 148 men whose sacrifice bought the intelligence that kept Taiwan secure. Two-thirds of the squadron died carrying out missions most people wouldn’t learn about for another 40 years. The squadron lost 15 aircraft and 148 crew members over those 14 years, making it the deadliest unit in Taiwan’s military history by casualty rate. They flew at night, often at low altitudes, straight into some of the most heavily defended airspace in Asia.
Taiwan’s democracy is at risk. Be very alarmed. This is not a drill. The current constitutional crisis progressed slowly, then suddenly. Political tensions, partisan hostility and emotions are all running high right when cool heads and calm negotiation are most needed. Oxford defines brinkmanship as: “The art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.” It says the term comes from a quote from a 1956 Cold War interview with then-American Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, when he said: ‘The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is
Like much in the world today, theater has experienced major disruptions over the six years since COVID-19. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine and social media have created a new normal of geopolitical and information uncertainty, and the performing arts are not immune to these effects. “Ten years ago people wanted to come to the theater to engage with important issues, but now the Internet allows them to engage with those issues powerfully and immediately,” said Faith Tan, programming director of the Esplanade in Singapore, speaking last week in Japan. “One reaction to unpredictability has been a renewed emphasis on
Beijing’s ironic, abusive tantrums aimed at Japan since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly stated that a Taiwan contingency would be an existential crisis for Japan, have revealed for all the world to see that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) lusts after Okinawa. We all owe Takaichi a debt of thanks for getting the PRC to make that public. The PRC and its netizens, taking their cue from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are presenting Okinawa by mirroring the claims about Taiwan. Official PRC propaganda organs began to wax lyrical about Okinawa’s “unsettled status” beginning last month. A Global
RSS