If you’ve already been to Chunkytown you will know what to expect, a cheap eat and a deep-fried treat and maybe a bubble tea to wash it down. These tasty dogs will remind you of Moomba and have you strolling down Elizabeth street with a bounce in your step singing ‘won’t you take me to, Chunkytown’.
When you arrive at the destination you are greeted with a small hole-in-the-wall operation where you can place your order. You can get the OG which is a hotdog on a stick dipped in batter and deep-fried. The batter is crispy and without all of the extras you can appreciate the actual flavour of the hotdog.
If you’re not about that hotdog taste or are a vegetarian you can opt for the mozzarella stick which is a hotdog, sans the dog, replaced with a stick of cheese, battered and then deep-fried. It’s so cheesy you can do an arms-length cheese pull.
If you choose to add cheese to the regular hotdog they pop a cube of cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or both) at the top of the dog before battering it so expect your first bite to be uber cheesy.
Next you can decide whether you want some add-ons like a crunchy ramen crumb, chunky squares of potato or a generous dusting of sugar. The ramen gives the hotdog a crunchy texture on the outside.
The chunky potato pieces add cubes of crunch but becomes extra doughy which takes away from the crispiness.
And if you like a bit of sweet and savoury you can add sugar. Sugar? I hear your concerns but don’t knock it ‘til you try it. The hotdog with sugar was actually my favourite because it made the dough resemble a doughnut and the doughnut hotdog gets a tick from me.
When your hotdog is ready you can take it to the self-saucing station. The sauces on offer are chipotle ketchup, garlic aioli, signature (similar to big mac special sauce), tomato sauce, bbq and peri peri. You have the reins to put a little or a lot of sauce on, you can put one or all of the sauces, you can do a squiggle, a straight line or even a smiley face. You do you.
They have a combo where you can get a hotdog and a bubble tea for $10 which is good value. We had the milk tea with pearls and sakura tea. The dogs are relatively sized and one would do you fine for a quick on-the-go lunch. At only $5.50 a dog and $6.00 with molten melted cheese it’s an absolute steal. So, if you’re on a tight budget (calling all students) dog days are over. Or are they starting?
I heart Chunkytown!
Olives x
Chunkytown
Address: Shop 1B/26 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: https://chunkytown.com.au
Trading Hours: Mon-Thu: 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat:11am-11pm, Sun: 11am-9pm