Remember a wee while ago when we told you about The Potted Hen’s latest venture Hen Dogs? Well, we finally went along to the Cathedral Quarter to sample their hot dog delights.

As we enter The Potted Hen, it’s absolutely packed. Yet as we ascend the stairs to where Hen Dogs is situated, it’s empty. Maybe word hasn’t quite spread yet, and talking to the staff, it’s clear that it’s been tough selling the idea of gourmet hotdogs to people. So maybe we can help change your mind.

The decor is charming. Pallets for tables and little metal buckets for your cutlery, it’s all very simple, whilst still retaining the elegance of The Potted Hen itself, but hey, it’s just hot dogs after all…

As expected, the menu is full of gourmet hot dogs, but there’s also a few non-dog items for you to choose from. At our table we choose: the ‘Porker’, the ‘HenDog Hennessy Sticky Pork Ribs’, and the ‘Catalan Spiced Whitebait’ alongside some ‘Messy Fries’. We place our order at the bar and we’re all set. We also get a few buckets of beer – they have a deal which is 4 beers for £12 which is pretty good. Our beers weren’t very cold at all, despite coming straight from the fridge, so our very helpful server offers to put some more in the freezer for us and tops our buckets up with ice. For a restaurant where you order yourself, the service is exemplary.

(Click the image to make it larger)

The Porker is a classic pork sausage, thick and cooked perfectly, with lashings of hoi sin sauce, mandarin oranges and spring onions on top, served in a crispy warm bun. Now is probably not a good time to mention that I’m not the biggest fan of hot dogs in the world, but I can appreciate when something is done right, and this certainly was. The sweetness of the mandarin was interesting and the crispy bun went well with the tender meat. The Sticky Ribs are massive, they’re also tender and really very good. The Whitebait is served as crispy little fried fish on a bed of shoestring fries and is a surprisingly hearty meal, whilst the Messy Fries are a must try, shoestring fries with the skins on, with tomato and onion and all sorts of toppings thrown over them.

Although it may be difficult to walk through The Potted Hen with the idea of hotdogs in your mind, Hen Dogs is definitely worth a try. The flavour combinations are interesting and executed extremely well, and there are special offers, daily specials and non-hot dog items on the menu, all of which are being delivered in true Potted Hen style. Check out their Facebook for deals and new menu items, and why not give them a try?

Laura Caldwell

Author: Laura Caldwell

Hi, I'm Laura. I'm 30 years old and have a degree in Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as writing for BBC Across the Line.

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