Taoyuan Handmade Charcoal-Grilled Toast – Enjoy the Stringy Texture of Three Types of Cheese

Text and photos by /Viviyu

Last year on the way to Guishan, I discovered Chris’s Charcoal-Grilled Toast food truck. I thought the white truck and the grilled toast it sold looked promising. Due to its limited street operating hours and weather constraints, I started seeing it less often. Unexpectedly, it’s now in trial operation at a shop on Zhongpu Second Street near the Zhongzheng Arts and Cultural District. I hurried over with a friend to try it out. There’s now an indoor seating area, and the prices haven’t gone up – truly generous of them~

You can see that the shop isn’t very big. During breakfast hours, there are usually more office workers coming to buy. If you’re in a rush or don’t want to wait, it’s recommended to call ahead and place an order.

Currently, the shop offers three types of charcoal-grilled sandwiches. “Three Types of Cheese” is something that didn’t exist during the food truck days – it’s probably a new item and is also egg-and-dairy vegetarian. For drinks, there are black tea and fresh milk tea. Show your in-store photo check-in and get a discount of NT$10. Does liking their fan page count? Haha.

The boss himself is a young guy... uh, I don’t know why I ended up taking a photo like this of the boss? Hey, next time I come, don’t hit me... It’s already taken, might as well post it!!

To prevent customers from getting bored while waiting, they’ve specially placed different board games on each table, which can also help pass the time.

They use longan wood charcoal, and the toast grilled over it naturally has a woody aroma that you wouldn’t get from an oven. Because of this, you have to be especially careful with the heat to avoid accidentally burning it.

Handmade Traditional Red $25, Tall & Fresh Milk Red $35

Compared to the traditional red I had before, the sweetness has increased slightly, and it’s also smoother to drink. Actually, I prefer black tea over milk tea. The shop uses Tall & Fresh Milk, and currently, only iced versions are available – no hot drinks.

Wine Pork Chop $55

I had pork chops before, but this one was ordered by my friend. We just split it in half so we could try both flavors. I ate it twice and still felt the pork chop was a bit dry. I wonder if it’s because it was pan-fried on an iron plate? I feel like the pork chops I’ve had at teppanyaki restaurants were really delicious...

Three Types of Cheese $55 (egg-and-dairy vegetarian)

I originally wanted to add a meat patty to the Three Types of Cheese, but I was afraid it would taste too plain. Wanting to mix things up, can you guys introduce a “Vivi Special Meal” in the future? Like Three Types of Cheese plus steak – that combo would definitely be for big eaters, haha.

The thick combination of three types of cheese and egg really has that stringy melt-in-your-mouth feel. Add some lettuce and tomato slices, paired with golden grilled toast, and it’s flavorful, stringy, and refreshing. I really like this combination.

But I’m not sure if it’s because the toast is trimmed (no crusts), so the bread feels a bit soft. Although I don’t like toast crusts, I just feel the bread itself is a bit too soft – kind of a pity. If they could adjust the texture a bit, it would be even better.

The boss said the new business cards aren’t printed yet, so only the phone number is on the card. For the latest info, please check out the shop’s fan page – it’s updated regularly!!

Chris’s Charcoal-Grilled Toast
Facebook
Phone: 0983-745-437
Address: No. 127, Zhongpu Second Street, Taoyuan District
Business Hours: AM 06:00–11:00

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