January 19, 2013

Third time lucky at Bubbledogs

Third time lucky. After giving up twice for the overwhelming queue all the way down Charlotte Street last fall, I learnt my lesson, and ventured to Bubbledogs for a late lunch, as opposed to my previous Friday night attempts.

So here we are, Miss S and I, on a mid-week freezing day, finally trying out the infamous hot spot opened in Fitzrovia by foodie couple James Knappett (ex Ledbury, Noma) and wife Sandia Chang (ex Roganic); offering a pretty intriguing pairing of hot dogs and champagne.

Since its opening, in late 2012, Bubbledogs has been the talk of the foodies in town and sadly takes no reservations (except for parties of 6 or more). They only keep a few small tables for walk-ins in the front of the restaurant.

Down to business now. Firstly, the pairing with champagne. The way I see it, hot dogs are a little guilty pleasure, better eaten in moderation. What’s champagne? Well exactly that, a pretty guilty pleasure best drunk in moderation. We drink expensive red wine with pizza, so why not drinking champagne with a hot dog? I am not against this proletarization of Champagne, but I know quite a few French folks here in London that might . Being 2PM, I stuck to a Diet coke, but if I go back, I would definitely order a vintage bubbly.

And now, the hot dogs. They offer a selection of 13 pork, beef and vegetarian hot dogs. From the naked dog (just the dog between the buns) to the super calorific Buffalo dog ( deep-fried hot dog with spicy buffalo sauce, blue cheese, pickled celery and celery seeds) or the indulgent (hangover cure) Breakie (with fried egg, tomato relish and black pudding bits).

What Miss S and I ordered:

Sloppy Joe (bubbledogs chilli, onions, and cheese) with extra jalapeno. So yummy!

Dogzilla, a delicious Japanese inspired hot dog with wasabi mayo, ginger and seaweed.

Coleslaw: perhaps a little too liquid, not particularly exciting.

Tots: crispy deep-fried grated potatoes, they tasted too much of fried.

Sweet potato fries: slightly soggy, could have been nicer with a sprinkle of salt.

My final verdict: hot dogs, really good, interesting toppings. Sides, nothing to write home about. Champagne, I need to try it next time. This place needs a second visit for a final judgement. I like the concept.

Hot dogs with sides for 2 people £32.

October 2, 2012

Long wait at Bubbledogs? Here is your plan B

Last weekend I organised to meet up with my friend A in Goodge street, and have dinner at Bubbledogs (I was so excited to try their lobster roll!!!) before joining some other friends for a birthday party at Westbourne House. It didn’t work quite as planned.

We arrived at Bubbledogs at 8, both running late on our original schedule, and the friendly front of house informed us that our wait would have been approximately… 2 hours. So annoying! The ‘no-reservations’ policy can be a two-bladed knife… We were forced to change our plan; and after a quick brainstorming we decided to tempt our tastebuds with tapas, at Barrica.

I have been to Barrica several times, and it has consistently been a great experience. This is the sort of place you go to, and you know you are going to have excellent food. They serve generous portions of tapas, and have a pretty extensive drinks list with over 100 wines and 20 sherries.

We walked in and easily found two stools at the marble-top bar. As usual, the restaurant was buzzy, but not too noisy to chat. We first ordered some El Picaro red wine from Matsu, a young wine, fruity and fresh, and olives.

I found the label of this wine particularly interesting. This El Picaro red is part of a trilogy of different aged wines, paying a tribute to the viticulturists, featured on the bottles, that have dedicated their lives to the Matsu vineyards.

Our selection of tapas included patatas bravas, fatty and crispy chunks of oven roasted potatoes with a touch of tomato and aioli dip.

Tortilla de Patata, traditional spanish omelette with caramelized onions and potatoes. In Spanish tradition, it’s served cold. Lovely and moist.

Two types of croquettes: Croquetas de Jamon (Ham) and Honey croquettes.

Last but not least, we ordered Octopus with chorizo, perfectly cooked, and extremely tasty.

We shared our dessert. Not my usual dessert order, the Sea Salt Caramel-Chocolate and Olive Oil Ice-Cream ‘Choc Ice’, this time, but a freshly baked tart with almond ice cream.