Tag: cheese sandwich

Falling for a grilled cheese sandwich in Shanghai

Co.Cheese Melt Bar is literally a hole in the wall place in Jingan. Their grilled cheese sandwiches remain unsurpassed in Shanghai.

The visit

Inside they only have bar chairs.

Really difficult to choose a sandwich on their list (around 30 options, including creative concoction such as Mac & Cheese and Kimchi) and they even offer the possibility to make your own sandwich.

In the picture above their Canadian Bacon sandwich (n. 28 from the menu) with bacon, secret sauce, and cheddar. Pictured a regular sized sandwich. They also have an option for large.

They have a large selection of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. In the picture a grapefruit juice.

They also have some other food items on the menu. Once I had their cheese board. Their Philly steak seems very attractive.

The check

Regular sandwiches are 50 RMB (7.5 USD). This check was 75 RMB (11 USD) including the drink (I believe that during the week for lunch they have a deal with a drink included with the sandwich).

Where in Shanghai:
32 Yuyuan Dong Lu
Address in Chinese: 愚园东路32号

The location visited for the review was closed at the end of September 2020. They operate another location at 509 Nanchang Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (behind IAPM mall) – in Chinese: 南昌路509号, 近陕西南路.

La Formaggeria, an oasis of Italian food in Shanghai

I like cheese. That in Shanghai there is an Italian-run shop selling imported cheese and other Italian goodies is a real treat.

La Formaggeria is the retail shop of Bazzale Group, a family owned company originally from Vicenza that, according to their website, has been operating in the milk world since at least 1784‭, ‬representing the oldest Italian company in the sector‭, ‬in continuous activity since at least eight generations. Bazzale is a large company (by Italian standards) selling its products in over 54 countries, with production facilities in Italy‭, ‬Czech Republic‭, ‬Brazil and China, and employing over 600 people.

The visit

It is a small shop but full of beautiful food. The center-stage is the cheese and cold cuts counter.

They offer tasting of their cheeses. Gran Moravia is their own brand of long-aged hard cheese. Also Verena is a brand of theirs and it is a hard-pressed cheese with a sweet flavor.

They also have other more classic types of hard cheese (Grana Padano and the famed Parmiggiano Reggiano), Roman Pecorino (from sheep milk, mildly spicy), Provolone (also a bit spicy), Asiago, Montasio, pasta filata (stretched-curd), mozzarella, smoked scamorza…

They also have some cold cuts (I tried their speck, made in China, it was ok) and a selection of Italian sweets and wines.

For 20 RMB (3 USD) they can prepare an Italian toast, with cheese and smoked ham (prosciutto cotto). Unfortunately the bread is a bit too sweet for my taste, but otherwise another treat.

The check

For 295 RMB (44 USD) above is pictured my shopping in March 2019. Most cheese was around 50 RMB for a large portion. The provolone was 200 grams. Also had a pack of “Torinesi”, a type of grissini that is a fixture in the bread basket of restaurants in Italy.

Considering that most products are imported, the prices are excellent, much better than the prices of cheese sold in high-end supermarkets, with the advantage of a lot of variety. If you like cheese, this is heaven.

Where in Shanghai:
1250 Huaihai Zhong Road Xujiahui District,
In Chinese: 淮海中路1250号
Website: https://www.brazzaleshanghai.com/

Brunch restaurants in Taiwan: a Tainan exemplar

Taiwan is mad for brunch restaurants. These small restaurants are halfway a cafe and a bistro. I see them as a natural evolution of Taiwanese breakfast restaurants, but serving foreign food, usually from 9 am to mid afternoon or early evening.

The visit

Just as an example, I will mention one from Tainan where I ate. In English is called character and it is housed in a small space in a back alley of Chenggong road. It could have been a garage.

Everything about it is cute…

Their specialty seems to be instagrammable latte, with cute cartoons drawn in the cream.

I went for a set luch that included an iced tea, a salad with soba and…

…and an excellent tuna cheese sandwich.

The place with its cuteness and affordable prices seemed to cater to young people.

The check

The set menu cost me only 150 NTD (4.87 USD), really a bargain for a nice lunch.

This kind of eateries, which are not really restaurants, but not a cafe as well (not really designed to hang out for a long time as in certain cafes), are now endemic in Taiwan; I noticed a lot of them especially in the South. They are really a great option for a non-Taiwanese breakfast or lunch.

Where in Tainan:
No. 4-5, Lane 68, Chenggong Road, North District