TOASTERiA CAFE — Restaurant in Da'an District

i dig toasteria -- it's anything good that's toasted on hysteria

honestly i come for the hummus & if brunch it's gonna be the shakshuka -- what any self-respecting israeli would order on any given Sunday

but it was just a snack before a meet in Dreamers -- what a perfect spot for me : DTF & Toasteria & Dreamers all lined up on 1 street

so i got the lemon 🍋 fizzy drink & hummus Baghdad -- which allegedly spicy but i felt no heat

still delicious & held my undivided attention

(i like to see people eat et barvader as in times of Barbarians -- all hands & mouth in coordination & 👀👁️👁️‍🗨️ eyes locked on one another's in conversation)

i ate dipped & topped & supped & sipped

wholly in the moment -- in the throes of ingestion

& you know it's quality when you leave & you feel no filmy layer on your teeth or thirst & nothing rests or fights digestion later on

it's just healthful food

& helpful staff

shoutout to lead hand Kay & her all-women staff

felt like Taiwanese Amazons running the place -- top to bottom kitchen & front of house

decor is open & casually sumptuous

look around & nothing but smiles

i sat at the bar as i was looking for a quick turnaround

the hot Daan mid-July air fell wave upon wave on me as diners eagerly walked in & lol mindlessly held open the automatic door by keeping the column of people stuck under threshold as the lead-in asks for a table

& i imagined myself in Tel Aviv

& imagined sunglasses & chic colourful wear on all

& this irresistible irrepressible joie de vivre

you almost feel here in Taipei -- Daan -- which is as cosmopolitan & chic as it gets

everyone looks like a potential arms dealer

gentlemanly retired naturally

we're all onto masks & rapid tests

that's where the...

ok, there are still some pretty delicious sandwiches on the menu - sicilian cheese, chicken jack cheese and the eggplant one are all pretty good choices. however i have a couple of issues with the menu:

first: it seems like the new menu in general brought the quality down and the prices up. the bread is less substantial than it used to be and some of the good things have been taken off the menu - e.g. you can’t get just a regular grilled cheese any more, only the four cheese, which tbh is two thin slices of bread drowning in an ocean of salty cheese & you’ll need to drink about 2 litres of water after eating it. also the entire big toast section, which had some pretty good stuff, is gone, and the papas fritas just don’t taste as good as they used to.

second: the menu is very hit and miss. this has always been an issue tbh. some stuff is very tasty but some stuff very much isn’t. for instance avoid the country nut salad (tastes like muesli with some lettuce in it), apple brie sandwich (a few thin slices of apple, two tiny blobs of brie, and, bizarrely, a load of white onion), and pulled pork sandwich (there’s just something undeniably ‘off’ tasting about it). then all of the pasta dishes are basically no better than okay and not really worth the money.

overall the good stuff is good enough to keep me coming back occasionally but it’s not as good as it was, say, 2 to 3 years ago...

I’ve been to Toasteria since when it was in Shida, Or the one near civic boulevard.

Toasteria has been doing a great job in keeping their classics but making menu changes that you never get tired of it.

I had the Philly cheesesteak today , a classic Shakshuka, mushroom pasta (with an extra order of chicken leg)

The Philly itself is great but you need to finish it while it’s still hot, otherwise the bread may become tough. It’s not like those yummy Philly you get in the US - not yet comparable but still delicious

The Shakshuka is one of the good ones I’ve had in Taipei. Reminds me of the one I loved in Israel . It’s not dry and the eggs cooked really well (just right - not dry ). It is paired with pita bread and Humus, not dry , good for the palate. I know a lot of folks in Taiwan aren’t used to the taste, but I liked it.

The pasta is pretty nice, not super outstanding in my opinion but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Overall it’s still a place that still gives us surprises and never fail with quality. Highly recommend !

There is a minimum for each person dining - regardless if you’re with children. Good thing is you can choose whether you want food or drinks.

For us, 4 dishes for 5 folks is suffient.

Oh- and please book prior to visiting , it’s hard to...