Leonardo Da Vinci had the right idea when he said “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” and I can literally taste the truth in that statement every time I eat a toasted cheese sammie. It’s definitely a matter of quality over quantity; the right cheese hugged by two slices of bread has the potential to inspire a smile from the pit of your tummy.
Think back to a time before you’d upgraded your taste buds to gourmet style food, for a lot of you toasted sammies have carried you through the darkness of hunger. For me they’re the ying to my yang and always a likely choice for lunch. Who needs fancy when you can have a mouthwatering toasted cheese?
In case you need some convincing or you don’t know exactly where to look for a sammie that’ll rock your world then check out this guide. Here’s a list of eight of the best places to get a scrumptious toasted cheese sammie.
Post
This one is definitely one of my favourites. They use San Francisco sourdough bread and edam cheese – the combination is poetic and for only R20 it just goes to show that eating well doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. With a front row view of what’s happening on De Beer and Juta Street you can rest your eyes on life’s on goings while you sink your teeth into something remarkable.
Jo’Anna The Melt Bar
Jo’Anna’s is the home of the toasties – they’re keeping the spirit of old fashioned toasties alive and doing it well. The first time I heard of it a friend was telling me about their mammoth sandwiches and she wasn’t lying. They aren’t stingy on the portions and I’d go so far as to compare their sammies to bear hugs. Mine was the result of two thick slices of bread, freshly baked at Café de la Crème, which housed a healthy amount of cheddar cheese.
(Image by Jo’Anna The Melt Bar)
Daleahs
Everything that comes out of Daleahs’ kitchen is garnished with a dash of perfection and the same goes for their sammies. Its artless which is an important quality to have in a sammie don’t you think? This cheesy wonder is also made with cheddar and there is an excellent rationing of cheese so it isn’t too greasy.
Cocobel
To put it mildly Cocobel’s cheese melt is orgasmic! I have spent a few mornings sitting outside the old truck, contemplating life while I eating my way through one of these. With a mix of three cheeses mozzarella, Gouda and cream cheese coupled with caramelized onions on the side, it will definitely change the way that you see and think of toasted sammies, this one is a work of art! The sweetness from the onions against the cheese is heavenly.
Poppy’s
Perched on the corner of 7th Street and 2nd Avenue in Melville you’ll find this gem that whips up a mean sammie. I cheated a bit with this one and ordered a cheese and pastrami. Poppy’s layers three slices of bread instead of two which meant that I could share mine with a friend I made while I was waiting for my order. They also make really great chips, not too oily and easy on the palette.
Proof
This one was also a bit of a game changer and, once again I cheated but good heavens it was great. It’s also an assortment of three cheeses, crispy strips of bacon and tucked in between a foot long. I’m not sure if my hunger illuminated the splendor in the taste or it really was flawless but I’ll go with the latter. Its bucket list worthy I tell you!
(Image by Proof Café)
Pizza Del Fornos
This spot is known for its pizzas but don’t let that fool you. They give life to the saying go big or go home; with an ample amount of cheddar cheese melted between two large rectangular slices of brown bread by the end of my meal I was near stuffed but willing to have some more if the need arose.
Fournos
These guys are in the business of baking heavenly loaves of bread so it’s only natural that they’d master the sandwich game as well. Here you get a choice of either Mozzarella or Cheddar; I went for Mozzarella on rye bread. I love the grassy-wheatie taste of the rye against the cheese, there’s something about the combination that keeps me trying to coin a term that’ll perfectly describe the taste. All their sammies come with chunky, crispy hand cut potato chips so if you’re worried that a sammie on its own won’t fill you then put that unease to bed.