“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).
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
RSS