The sandwich theme fits in well with their cosmopolitan vibe. They offer an experience for those on the go, perfect for the office crowd. The shop is filled with stools only, not a single normal chair to be found. The stools are surprisingly comfortable with a nice footrest to keep you feeling secure. There are few things more annoying than a stool that just leaves your legs dangling in the air. While there are high-rise tables, the majority of the seating is setup by a long shared bench. The general setup of the shop makes it more appropriate for a quick lunch break; otherwise, it is best suited for delivery, take away or office catering. If you’re looking for a place where you can sit, relax and talk for a long while, Toasted may not be the best option.

The color scheme of the establishment is essentially made up of wood, gray and white. They do a nice job of giving the place a small shop in the big city type of feel. The walls are decorated with clever and humorous slogans and pictures, such as a drawing of a piece of toast with “ED” on it or writing “I,” followed by the same drawing of toast, and then “food”. While not monumental, these efforts give the shop a nice sense of humor and character. Of course, those who believe bread is not toast until it is actually toasted might take issue. Then again, there is no clear indication that the toast drawing is not actually toasted; it could go either way really.

The menu itself is made to look like a large piece of silver toast bread. It is conveniently sized to easily fit in a large pocket or bag. Although the physical size of the menu is on the smaller side, they actually offer quite a selection of goods. The different types of sandwiches offered include quattroes, burgers, poultry sandwiches, beef sandwiches and seafood sandwiches. The quattroes are the classic type of grilling machine toast bread sandwiches our parents used to make us as children. Of course, Toasted offers more sophisticated fillings than kids are accustomed to like the mint halloumi, feta oregano or chicken supreme.

In addition to sandwiches, Toasted offers a pleasant selection of soups and salads. Salads include the typical, such as the Greek, pasta, or Caesar, to the more modern like the salmon roll, steak or noodles. The menu also includes instructions on how to best mix the dressing with the salad. This is explained in a three-step process: Open the container, pour the dressing, close the lid and shake. A process that is both simple and fun, but I question its effectiveness. When I came to mix my salad in the suggested manner, the bits in the middle and bottom of the bowl were still dry. No matter how far we progress technologically, we may always be stuck with the annoying process of tossing a salad by hand.

The soup selection includes tasty treats such as the creamy carrot, pumpkin, lentil, mushroom and the daily special. Although I was not quite in the mood for a bowl, I believe I would give the pumpkin or the mushroom a try on my next visit.

For my meal, I chose to go with the chicken Caesar salad and roast beef combo, the classic burger and an order of spicy potato wedges. The bread used on both the roast beef sandwich and the burgers was quite delicious and well made. The classic burger was made with a nice hearty patty that is quite thick and tasty, but I felt that they used too much special dressing that ended up overwhelming the overall flavor. The roast beef sandwich had great potential, but the ratio of salad and dressing to meat was also too high. It was almost as if it was a salad sandwich served with a slice or two or roast beef, which is quite misleading by the menu picture that shows quite a meaty sandwich. I also did not approve of their use of ketchup with roast beef, but many may disagree with that view.

The potato wedges were nicely spiced, quite flavorful and plentiful. I would propose that a single order would be quite enough for two people. The Caesar salad was also very good. Served with herbed croutons, beef bacon and Parmesan cheese, it makes for a great side to any sandwich.

Although I had issues with the sandwiches I tried, the ingredients were of a good quality and I appreciated the effort. I believe it is simply a matter of finding the right sandwich for me. I also like the big city vibe that Toasted is going for, it fits in well with Jeddah’s cosmopolitan character and feels like the sort of place that would be well-suited in London or New York City. The only issue I see is that Jeddah is much more of a driving city, whereas this sort of establishment lends itself to walkers. Still, their options for delivery and corporate catering make up for this fact. Either way, Toasted is the sort of sandwich shop that you want to like, as it has something for everyone  —  it is simply a matter of finding the right item for your taste.