polyphagia ♣: it' dog, edmonton

The Asian fusion hot dog craze has just hit Edmonton!

Occupying the space which had previously belonged to Badass Jack's, the short walk from university campus to It' Dog definitely makes this fast food joint a hit among uni students.

The menu is pretty sweet and straightforward. You have 11 hotdogs, 4 deep fried chicken choices to choose from and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can order a bulgogi poutine or even kimchi pork poutine.

With the lack of Korean fried chicken in my life during these past 5 months in Edmonton, you can imagine how I often I find myself craving for its greasy, oily, ultra-crunchy and salty goodness.

We started off with two pieces of fried chicken each.

Fried Chicken ($6.00):

Nope you're seeing right. That's three pieces. Can you imagine the look of delight on our faces when we were all given three pieces instead of just two?

How glorious and hypnotising does that chicken look? One bite into this perfect golden egg-shell like thin crust on the skin revealed an extremely tender and moist chicken, which was also really well seasoned.

Sweet Mustard Chicken ($7.00)

Even, with the sweet mustard sauce, the skin just crackled and crunched with every bite. It was amazing.

Sweet & Spicy Fried Chicken ($7.00):

This version comes drenched in a sticky sweet and chilli sauce which was perfect in that it wasn't too thick or too heavy. The sauce definitely leans on the more sweeter side of things with just slight burst of heat. And like its siblings at It' Dog, even when laden with all this sauce the chicken was still incredibly crunchy.

The only complaint I have with the chicken here is that sometimes (just sometimes), you might get a piece of chicken that is extremely bony. But hey! There's nothing wrong with chicks with a little more meat, okay.

Now, on to the hot dogs! Get ready to say goodbye to your new year's resolutions.

Signature It' Dog ($10.00):
Grilled sausage, bulgogi, tempura shrimp, mushroom, caramelised onion, mozzarella cheese, green onion, sweet wasabi mayo.

100% grilled beef sausage, bulgogi, tempura shrimp, mushroom, caramelised onion, mozzarella cheese, green onion and sweet wasabi mayo sits neatly on a sweet pretzel bun. In one bite, you get an explosion of sweet soy from the tender bulgogi, smokiness from the caramelised onions, an earthiness from the mushrooms, succulent shrimp encased in a crispy batter, creamy and sweet wasabi mayo and perfectly melted salty mozzarella cheese. You wouldn't know what to expect from the smell but the combo just works.

It would have been totally perfect if the buns here were slightly toasted and little less dense.

Beef Rib Dog ($7.50):
Grilled sausage, grilled beef short rib, top with lettuce, sweet mayo, green onion, deep fried garlic, sesame seed.

This was a great combo and a pretty sweet hot dog.

Literally. Sweet soy marinated, melt in your mouth tender beef short-ribs, crispy garlic ships, green onion, fresh lettuce and is topped with a a sweet bbq and sweet mayo sauce.

Crispy Chicken Dog ($7.50):
Grilled sausage, topped with crispy chicken, spicy mayo and onion.

I'll be frank with you, this hot dog is the best!

The Crispy Chicken is my current favourite. The grilled sausage is topped with a generous amount of ridiculously crisp popcorn chicken which is then topped with fresh green onions, lettuce, spicy Spanish red onions and chilli mayo. The chicken was succulent, the mayo prevented the hot dog from being too dry and boring by slightly turning up the spice levels.

But for those who want something truly spicy, the Spicy Chicken Dog is not bad option.

Spicy Chicken Dog ($8.00):
Grilled sausage, spicy chicken, lettuce, sweet mayo, green onion, sesame seeds.

These chunks of chicken are marinated with a secret and magical spicy sauce. It's super tender. The fresh green onion and lettuce cut through the greasiness of this hot dog and nuttiness of the toasted sesame seeds was just divine. I also loved the strong garlicky flavors from the deep fried chips and they will serve you well in keeping the vampires at bay.

Truffle Mac & Cheese Dog ($9.00):
Grilled sausage, mac & cheese, bacon bits, parmesan cheese, jalapenos.

The Truffle Mac & Cheese dog was amazing, combining two ultimate comfort foods into one. The parmesan and rich mac and cheese wasn't sharp but creamy, smooth and salty with strong hints of what tasted like truffle butter, the bits of bacon provided a crunch, while the sliced jalapenos gave a wonderful chilli kick to the hot dog. Turn this up a notch by dressing it up with some chilli salt and ketchup from the counter and you've got another winner.

With the poutine flavours, the Pork Kimchi Dog, Peach Shrimp Dog and Garlic Soy Chicken left to try, you can bet I'll be visiting again soon!