Bunny Chows in Taipei @ Toast Bar and Bistro

A friend of ours from Church recently opened a wonderful new eclectic restaurant in Taipei called the Toast Bar and Bistro. Last night (18 August 2012) us, some friends, Queenie's Mom and our niece Charlene went for a delicious meal there. The food there is truly awesome. But for me, the really special part, was the chance to have an incredible Bunny Chow in Taipei for the first time in 14 years. Don't know what a Bunny Chow is? See the picture below!

Could this be Taipei's first ever Bunny Chow?

As mentioned above, a Filipino friend of mine from Church (who used to work at Carnegies) and the ex-chef from Carnegies teamed up to open this new Bistro on An-He Road. We have been meaning to visit for a while and had the first opportunity to go last week Monday. The food was so great we invited some friends to go with us last night, and they loved the food. We also invited Queenie's Mom along and our niece Charlene. Everyone thought the food was fantastic and a great time was had by everyone. It is not often we go to the same restaurant twice in the same week, but this one is really good and we do highly recommend it (and not because our friend runs it)!

Dinner Crowd - (from right) Queenie's Mom, Charlene, Queenie, Melody, Ron, Sean and Paul

The Bunny Chow

Me and my Half-Lamb Bunny Chow

A Bunny Chow might be the only cuisine ever invented in Durban and was the cheap food of my university days. It came out of the large Indian community in Durban (see more on Wikipedia - Bunny Chows). Since I went to a University where the majority of the students were of Indian descent, I very often indulged in Bunny Chows for lunch. So what is a Bunny Chow - it is simply a hollowed out piece of bread with curry poured into the middle of it. The biggest challenge in Taipei (or Taiwan) for Bunny Chows though is that firstly, the bread from the bakeries here is too sweet, and second, I have never had a top quality curry here in Taiwan. No matter what anyone says! I grew up eating the authentic thing and most of the curries I have tried in Taiwan have been mere pretenders to the real thing. Until now!

So on Monday Queenie and I were in the Toast Bar and Bistro and saw they had a lot of different curry on the menu. I was still skeptical and we ordered some other food. Then along came the soup with this AMAZING bread and I asked Jonathan (our mate) where he got his bread from. He mentioned they baked the bread themselves. Then people at the next table from us ordered a curry and it looked and smelled amazing. I then told Jonathan about the Bunny Chow and asked if he could prepare one for me. He said "Not a problem!" What a fantastic proprietor! So anyway, when we mentioned we would be back last week Saturday, he said my Bunny Chow would be ready! After fourteen years in Taiwan I finally managed to get a half-lamb (half a loaf of bread filled with lamb curry)! The curry was awesome, the bread was awesome and therefore the Bunny Chow was awesome. Another South African came in a while later and Jonathan mentioned he made a Bunny Chow. The other South African ordered one too and loved it. It seems Bunny Chows are finally on the menu here in Taiwan!

Please note though that there is only one way to eat a Bunny Chow - and that is with your fingers, no utensils!

The other Food

Queenie's Roasted Salmon

Queenie ordered the Roasted Salmon (see above) and said it was fantastic. She took a long time to eat it as it was a big portion but it was super delicious. She finished the whole thing. Queenie's Mom and Melody ordered a pasta dish (no picture) and they said it was as good as any pasta served in a good quality restaurant here in Taipei. My mate Ron ordered the Lamb Curry set (see below) and said it was fantastic. Should be noted Ron is a very fussy foodie so when he says its good you better believe it's good.

Ron and his Curry Meal

We also ordered a caesar salad and Brussel sprouts (yes Brussel Sprouts!) for starters. Both were as good as everything else we tried. The food there was truly awesome and we had a fantastic time.

The Toast Bar and Bistro

As mentioned earlier, the Toast Bar and Bistro has a very eclectic menu. Menu options include Mexican, Curries, Pastas, brilliant Entree's such as ribs and pork knuckle, steaks and Burgers/Sandwiches. But for us, the best part is the THREE HOUR HAPPY HOUR with selected drinks offered at ONLY NTD90. The Happy Hour runs from 5:00pm to 8:00pm so is fairly long and gives you plenty of time to kick back and relax with a few beers.

Its easy for the reader to guess that we do highly recommend this restaurant. It is really an awesome addition to Taipei's culinary scene. The address and contact details can be found on their facebook page @ Toast Bar and Bistro and are included below:

大安區安和路二段181巷3號
No. 3, Lane 181, An He Road, Ta-An district (close to Carnegies and right behind the Far Eastern Hotel)
Tel:02 2737 0037
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 00:00

Go and enjoy!