About Time You Tried: London’s New Cheese Toastie CafeBy Alicia Grimshaw
For me, you can’t quite beat a cheese toastie. Lashings of ketchup, a bit of ham, maybe throw in some onions for good measure, a thick layer of butter, all married together with two slices of sturdy bread – without doubt, the cheese toastie is a classic. You’ve got a hangover? Get out the toastie machine. You fancy some cheese for breakfast? Grilled cheese sandwich. Aren’t really into a heavy dinner? Get grating that cheese, because you know what time it is – cheese toastie time.
The only slight issue with liking cheese toasties so much, is that there aren’t many places that sell this beloved dish outside your kitchen. Undoubtedly, your own cheese toastie is always going to be the winner, as you can pick your bread, cheese and condiment. A cheese toastie is nothing without some form of condiment slapped on it. Well, that’s about to change as you can now have a cheese toastie that doesn’t involve you in last nights make up and pyjamas. Londoners rejoice, Soho is being graced with Melt Room opening in May, the cheese toastie has just been given a rather sexy makeover. This is the best news we’ve had all week.
What: Melt Room is set to bring a taste of the much-loved New York-style cheese-stuffed hot sandwich to London, the grilled sandwich just went gourmet and we like it. Large menu it isn’t, however the small and carefully selected list will focus on creating simple, tasty and down right dreamy grilled cheese sandwiches. Melt Room will use artisan and locally sourced ingredients to offer not only cheese, but an extensive range of unique meat, pork, chicken and vegetable combinations. I’ve never had a chicken and cheese toastie, but I’m open to it. It doesn’t stop there, healthy juices and beverages will be available all day from breakfast.
The menu will feature a range of signature melts, supporting the best of British farmhouse cheese. The undisputed king of the menu is the uncomplicated ‘The Classic’, a cracking blend of cheeses making your self-made cheese toastie look a bit below par. Melt Room has also experimented with meat and their slow and low lamb shoulder with mustard greens, melted Swiss and Pastrami with porcini, Sparkenhoe Red Leicestershire and horseradish should definitely be ordered.
Taking the grilled cheese sandwich to the next level, they will also be rustling up their Breakfast melt, a take on the full English, called the Full Works with eggs, bacon, Keen’s Cheddar, HP relish and more. For the brunch lover, they will also be serving the Benedict Melt with a cheese and hollandaise sauce. Anyone who prefers sweet over savoury (a no-brainer), they will be selling a Nutella and Mascarpone grilled sandwich it sounds so wrong, but there’s no doubt that it won’t be a taste sensation. All Melts are available with Crisp Dill Pickle, Melt Room relish and ‘friend of cheese sauce’, I’m a sucker for a condiment. Best of all, a local delivery service will also be offered.
You can keep your lukewarm vegetable pasty, meal deals and over-chilled sandwiches, I’m off to the Melt Room.
Where: 26 Noel Street, London
Photos by Charlie McKay
