Where My Dogs At?
Nunhead - 19 November 2014
They say every dog has its day. At The Old Nun’s Head, that
day is a Wednesday when Oh My Dog! takes over the kitchen.
It’s my favourite pub in London with a relaxed atmosphere
and a strong selection of ales and craft beers. Moreover, their revolving door
of kitchen residencies allows a variety of fine street food vendors (including
the incredible Burger Bear) to hone their skills and develop an eager south-London
following. OMD have been in there for a couple of months so we were probably
overdue a visit.
I have to admit up front, I’m not really a dog person. Despite
the hot dog’s growth in popularity over recent years, a hot dog will never be
top dog in my eyes… My first love will always be burgers…That said, we thought these were tasty. The imported German
franks have a porky taste, with the skin giving way with a satisfying ‘snap’
when bitten into (hours of Man vs Food having taught me this is the key to a
good frank). Their demi brioche buns are dense, but they hold up well under the
toppings. And those toppings are
excellent.
On the Chilli-Steak Dog, the beef chilli is soft, juicy, with the
spices balanced well so the flavour of meat isn’t lost; and the jalapenos and
onions add twang. The Deputy Dog’s pulled pork is soft and smoky, touch dry,
but the barbeque sauce is banging with a real kick to it.
The dogs are winners and have set my benchmark to judge
other hotdogs. What actually got me more excited was their sides... First we
had a portion of Meaty BBQ Beans packed with pulled pork (no worries about
dryness here), at a strong 60:40 ratio. Now that is how you make beans – stick
a ton of meaty goodness in there.
And then we had the Deep Fried Mac n Cheese; wow! Three monolithic
blocks of fried mac n cheese with a BBQ dip. The mac is perfectly cooked; not a
hint of stodginess or heaviness. The cheese holds everything together well, whilst
the coating is crunchy, not at all greasy. Again, the BBQ sauce is sweet, smoky
and spicy. Loved it.
While I will never love a hot dog anywhere near as much as a burger, these are fine examples of the genre. At £9.50 for the dogs, I think they’re also perhaps a bit on the pricey side, but I guess it boils down to one question; would I go back? Yes. For the Mac n Cheese alone. And while I was there, I’d have some Meaty Beans and then, well, it would seem wrong not to have a dog…
Oh My Dog!
Wednesdays @ The Old Nun's Head
15 Nunhead Green
SE15 3QQ
