Toast Box Takashimaya: New retro concept store with outlet-exclusive menu items

Toast Box Takashimaya is the third and latest addition to Toast Box’s series of concept stores in Singapore — you might have seen its previously launched Toast Box Music Book Room at Bras Basah, or the Toast Box Coffee House at Tiong Bahru. 

This new store also joins its other over 70 Toast Box outlets islandwide.

If you’ve loved the earlier two concept stores, you’re in for a treat at Toast Box Takashimaya — it’s an “old-school” concept full of immaculate retro vibes and delicious staples, with a modern twist. 

Set in the heart of town at Takashimaya Shopping Centre’s basement, this Toast Box outlet is decked in bright turquoise paint and decorated with mismatched wooden furniture, vintage photographs and a slew of Toast Box memorabilia from the 1950s to 1980s.

Fun fact: If you look closely, you might be able to tell that the photographs and sketches are personal items of George Quek, owner of the BreadTalk Group, which manages Toast Box. 

Outlet-exclusive items at Toast Box Takashimaya

Besides just vibes, Toast Box Takashimaya also serves up new, delicious fare to match its warm, cosy ambience. 

As a nod to its heritage of serving up good coffee and tea over the years, Toast Box is introducing two new outlet-exclusive Waterfall drinks, which offer a twist on the traditional kopi or teh — one can choose from a Waterfall kopi or teh (S$4) which comes with an overflowing dose of frothy beverage. 

For those who love a good bak chor mee (minced meat noodles), its bak chor ramen (S$8.80) is an elevated version of the usual — it uses springy ramen noodles, instead of yellow noodles, tossed in a lard, vinegar and chilli concoction, and topped with a generous serving of mushrooms, minced meat and prawns. 

We appreciated the heavy-handed use of lard and vinegar, both of which balanced each other out perfectly. And while the noodles weren’t too spicy, there’s always the option to add more chilli, if that’s what you prefer. 

If you’re Team Soup, then the char siew ramen (S$8.80) is another one for the books — the pork char siew is perfectly tender, fatty and juicy, and pairs well with the clear soup broth, though we did feel it bordered on being a tad bland after we had the extremely flavourful bak chor ramen.

If you prefer bite-sized snacks, there’s the newly introduced mentaiko egg sando (S$5.50), which comprises fluffy scrambled eggs and mentaiko (spicy cured pollack roe) sandwiched in between Toast Box’s signature thick toast — it’s one of the softest, fluffiest sandos we’ve had in recent times. 

We only wished they offered a toasted version, too. 

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A unique experience for tourists and visitors alike

The local way of ordering local kopi and teh is highly unique (I fondly remember the time I first learnt what C, kosong, di-lo, po and peng meant), and it’s always interesting to introduce this aspect of our daily life to visiting friends and tourists. 

If you have foreigner friends in town, Toast Box Takashimaya’s outlet-exclusive Experience sets, which provide sample-sized portions of local favourites, is a definite must-have — think sample-sized kopi or teh in a tasting flight, or smaller portions of its classic laksa and curry chicken. 

The kopi trio (S$5.50) comes plated with three small cups of kopi, kopi-C and kopi-O — just the right size if you just want to get a taste of each variation, without risking a caffeine overdose. Similarly, you can also have the teh trio (S$5.50), if you prefer tea over coffee!

No tourist’s trip to Singapore is complete without having our local breakfast favourite of kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs. I’ve had foreigner friends lament the sheer amount of kaya and butter slathered on their toasts previously.

With the thick toast Experience set (S$4.50), one can try different spreads such as butter, nyonya or Hainanese kaya, or chunky peanut butter, and decide just how much they want to put on their toast. 

While this may be introduced with tourists in mind, we say it’s perfect for indecisive folks who love a bit of everything. You’ll no longer need to debate between your favourite spread combinations — just get them all!

Drawing on the popularity of its laksa (from S$6) and curry chicken with rice (from S$6.60) dishes, which are widely available at its regular outlets, Toast Box Takashimaya serves up mini portions of both in the Asian delight yuan yang Experience set (S$12).

The yuan yang Experience set comes with a choice of rice, toast or prata to accompany the curry and laksa, but we say get the prata for an ultimate local experience. 

Similar to the toast Experience set, this is clearly geared at tourists who want a manageable tasting portion of the two classics. We think it’s a great option for locals too if you love both laksa and curry chicken and can’t decide between the two!

To mark its concept store’s grand opening in June, Toast Box Takashimaya is offering a promotion on its ramen bundle set where you can get two bowls of ramen, two drinks and two desserts for just S$22.50 (U.P.: S$25).

Whether you’re a long-time Toast Box fan, love all things retro, or are just looking for a quick cuppa, we think this new concept store’s got something for everyone — just remember to avoid peak meal times for now if you’re not a fan of queues! 

This was a hosted tasting.

For more local eats, read about the best Hainanese chicken in Singapore or check out the hawkers at Tampines Round Market & Food Centre. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Toast Box is on the GrabFood Delivery Service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off with GrabUnlimited). 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Toast Box at Takashimaya to try its new menu.