JOIN USAmericans are known to love hot dogs; and to such an extent that they celebrate July as the National Hot Dog month. Closer home, giving Delhiites a taste of this American staple is the ongoing 13th Annual Hot Dog Festival at the All American Diner, which features some finger-licking hot dogs. So, not wanting to miss out on the chance to savour some fresh and innovative hot dogs, Metrolife booked a table for two and headed out to discover flavours from the streets of America.
Being a Saturday afternoon, the place was filled to capacity so we had to wait a few minutes. But we did not mind, as we utilised this time to flip through their menu and make a list of ‘things to try’ in our minds. Soon, we were offered a table and were greeted by executive chef Pawan Uppal, whom we also asked for suggestions.
Now it was time to dig in, and the first thing to be served was the ‘Sampler Hot Dog’ which comprised ‘Buffalo Hot Dog’, ‘Pesto Parmesan Hot Dog’, ‘Bruschetta Dog’, and ‘Polish Boy’. Each hot dog looked so tempting that it took us a while to decide which one to begin with. We finally settled for ‘Polish Boy’ — the combination of chicken frankfurter, French fries and melting cheddar cheese topped with BBQ sauce in shredded potato bun made us leap out for it. A bite into the soft, fresh bun, and we knew we had made the right choice. Nothing could beat this perfect combination of flavours and ingredients.
While munching on it, we ordered a ‘Frozen Lime Margarita’ and ‘Kentucky Sour’ from their drinks menu which served as the perfect accompaniment. Next, we tried the ‘Bruschetta Dog’ which had chicken frankfurter topped with balsamic reduction and basil in olive bun. The rich balsamic glaze added depth to the food item and we loved each bite of it. The other two — ‘Buffalo Hot Dog’ (chicken frankfurter and blue cheese in olive bun) and ‘Pesto Parmesan Hot Dog’ (chicken frankfurter with pesto sauce and parmesan cheese in shredded potato bun) — also had distinct flavours, and we really liked the interesting use of blue cheese and pesto sauce in the two items respectively.
It took us some time to polish off all the four samplers, and we took a short drinks break before we were served ‘California Dog’ on the chef’s recommendation. This delicious combination of chicken frankfurter and lamb pepperoni topped with tomato and mint mayo in laminated dough bun, was undoubtedly the best item we tried that afternoon. We especially liked this soft and flaky bun, much like a croissant bun, which we had never tried as a hot dog.
We asked chef Uppal about the varied varieties of buns, and he told us how they mix the ingredients with the dough, and prepare them in-house.
Even though we were full beyond capacity, we decided to try one of their vegetarian hot dogs and settled for ‘Vine Leaf And Soya Dog’, which had spicy soya chunks wrapped in vine leaf and tomato in olive bun. To admit, it was the first time we had ever tried a vegetarian hot dog, but we totally loved its flavours. Never did soya chunks taste so heavenly before!The festival is on until August 31.
Address: The All American Diner, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road.
Meal for two: Rs 1,200.
Time: 11 am to 12 am.