May 18, 2013
It feels like forever since we first visited Snag Stand outside Melbourne Central. I've developed a taste for the Lord of the Fries hotdogs and we've even got into the habit of making our own versions at home (pro tip: potato crisps on a hotdog are surprisingly excellent). Still, we've been meaning to return for ages - the veggie chorizo has been well-loved and everyone raves about their chips.
So on a lazy Saturday afternoon in the city we decided to stop by. The menu hasn't changed too much but it's clearer about what's vegetarian and they've added the chorizo to the original potato, smoked apple and sage dog. Neither of their designed dogs are vegan, but you can build your own from components (be warned: at last reckoning neither the onions or the mushrooms were vegan-friendly, and I'd be surprised if that had changed).
We stuck with the standard menu option - a veggie chorizo with semi-dried tomatoes, rocket, chipotle aoli and shredded Spanish goat's cheese on a brioche bun ($9.90), with a side of chips and herbed aoli ($3.90 + $1 for the dipping sauce). The chips were small but excellent - crispy and heavily seasoned with plenty of aoli for dipping. You can see why they've got such a great reputation.
As for the hot-dog - first up: don't order the brioche bun. At least I wouldn't next time. Though Cindy disagrees, I don't really understand the appeal of it as a hot dog bun and would much prefer a basic roll. Second up: this chorizo is pretty damn good, possibly even better than our homemade attempts. It doesn't have the dryness that you sometimes get with a veggie dog, and it had some nice smoky flavours going on as well. The whole mess worked okay, but I reckon I'd go for a simpler option next time - just a dog, some mustard and some onions in a standard roll. We'll see.
It's great that there are two vegan dogs on offer at Snag Stand (and good ones too - probably pipping the Phat Brats versions) but kind of a shame that they don't go the extra mile and offer up some more vegan toppings to go with them. As a vego though it's worth a stop - a $10 hot dog is a bit extravagant but you can be guaranteed something pretty delicious.
____________
Green Gourmet Giraffe seems to be a regular visitor, while Louise By Degrees has an excellent (if slightly old) run-down of what's vegan on the Snag Stand menu. Live Blissful went to the Brisbane store and enjoyed their vegan offerings.
Meatier bloggers are mostly positive about Snag Stand - see The Blog of Sharlene K, Food Made With Love, Eat. Play. Shop., Melbourne Date Night, hypothesesofagradstudent, The Very, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Yellow Eggs, Sarah Cooks, We Love Melbourne, table to tummy, Ichigo Shortcake, two munch, Kran & Nina, Suchgoodlife, HEARTLEA, Seminmalista, egg tarts and apple pie, food.loves.my.mouth, Let's Get Fat Together, Gastronomical ramblings and We Dare Food.
tirache and lunchosaurus were less impressed.
____________
Accessibility: Snag Stand opens
directly onto the Swanston St footpath, which is reasonably flat and
without too many obstructions. Ordering and pick-up occurs at a low-ish
counter. The few tables available are high set.
I haven't been there for a while but enjoyed the snags (other than the one I accidentally ordered with sauerkraut before discovering that it had bacon in the sauerkraut) - must head back again
ReplyDeleteJohanna - I remember your sauerkraut issues, very unfortunate!
DeleteGosh the veggie chorizo sounds really good but what a shame about the lack of vegan toppings!
ReplyDeleteI occasionally make chilli dogs at home since being smitten with the ones at South. :D
Hi Mel! It definitely pays to check with these guys. Good news is that I've emailed them in the past and they were very helpful.
Delete