Phat Brats

A week or two ago (yes I've been slack with keeping up to date with my posts), a friend and I headed to a newbie called Phat Brats for a quick bite to eat before heading to the movies. The best way to describe Phat Brats.....think New york hot dog joint, but with a hint of fanciness - to make it more Melbourne like!

With so many amazing sounding dogs on the menu board it was too hard to choose just one! So my friend and I decided to go halvies in two dogs, with a serving of cheesy fries on the side! Yum Yum. 

The Chilli Dog

I can never help but ask what a waiter, or in this case, a guy behind the counter, what they would recommend I try?? I love it when I get an instant response, with their suggestions, because it adds to the excitement of the whole dining experience! So to my excitement without hesitation the guy behind the counter told me that their chilli dog was a must! So we went with the chilli dog! 

When our order arrived at the table it took me down memory lane, to my summer spent in Up State New York...where a lot of American food joints I frequented served up their burgers and deep fried goods in these cheap looking red plastic baskets! These might look cheap and nasty to some, but for me, it added to the whole experience!

Now onto the dog. The actual sausage was made with wagyu, and it was topped with ground beef, their homemade chilli and cheesy sauces, with a sprinkle of spring onions. So I took my first bite, and with chilli and cheesy sauce running down my chin and hands, I couldn't decide whether I loved it or not? I came to the conclusion that I loved all the elements except the actual sausage itself. It was definitely super fresh, and had some great flavours going on, however it seemed a little on the tough side. On a positive note the chilli and cheesy sauces complimented one another so well, and the ground beef was super yummy.

The Pork & Sage Dog

Although the chilli dog was what came recommended, it was actually the Pork & Sage that got my mouth watering when looking at the menu board! And it didn't disappoint. Piled onto the sausage was an apple, cabbage and fennel slaw, drizzled with a creamy delicious horse radish sauce....and lets not forgot the little pieces of crackling balancing on top! I loved the combination of the apple, fennel, creamy horse radish sauce, with the crunch of the crackling. And the actual dog had fennel seeds in it, which also added to the flavour explosion you got with every bite! This one was the winner in my books, and I'll definitely be heading back for another in the near future. 

Cheesy Fries

I could have honestly had a couple of baskets of these bad boys. Not because there weren't enough. The basket was overflowing. But once you start. You can't stop! And I wonder why my arse got rather large while living in the states! Ha ha. The fries were hot and crispy, the cheesy sauce was super cheesy and just the right consistency! It was everything cheesy fries should be. The only thing it was missing (which I think is a must with cheesy fries) was tomato sauce! So I asked for some of their homemade sauce for dipping! I highly recommend you do this too! Just adds a bit of something extra!

So Overall I recommend Phat Brats for those wanting a quick, non fuss, bite to eat like I did! I will def be back, even if just to snack on some more of those amazing cheesy fries! he he. 

Phat Brats Address: 

320 Brunswick St 

Fitzroy

Out Of Pocket: 

The Chilli Dog: $8.90

Pork & Sage Dog: $8.90

Cheesy Fries: $6.00

Side Of Homemade Tomato Sauce: Complimentary

Naked For Satan

Spain is one of my favourite countries....and I'm sure its got to do with how amazing spanish food is! So when I heard about Naked for Satan, a Basque inspired pintxo and Vodka bar....I got very excited. Saturday night I finally headed there with one of my girlfriends, for a drink and a bite to eat to start off the night!

As soon as we walked through the front door my eyes instantly went to the bar filled with plates of pintxo's all lined up! For those that don't know what a pintxo is. It's a crusty piece of bread stick with a variety of different toppings, held together by a tooth pick. Pixtxo's are very popular in Spain, and the spanish love to snack on them over a wine for dinner, mixed with a selection of other tapas. 

After finding a comfy couch upstairs we started to study the drinks menu, which is filled with old school pin up girl illustrations, making it quirky and fun to flick through. Deciding what to drink was a hard task, with such a large variety of infused vodkas and yummy sounding cocktails. 

I ended up going for the Watermelon and Mint infused vodka, mixed with a splash of soda and a slice of lime. It was so delish and refreshing. My girlfriend was a little more adventurous and went for the chocolate infused vodka, which was served on the rocks with a slice of fresh orange. It took a couple of sips to be able to taste the chocolate flavours....its was nice, but think we were expecting it to be much more chocolatey, so were a little disappointed. I asked one of the guys behind the bar what their most popular/best infused vodka is, and he said the pineapple is their speciality! So I'm going to give that a go next time.

And now onto the pintxo's. With such a large variety of pintxo's with interesting spanish inspired toppings it wasn't an easy decision! But finally we ended up getting a mixed plate of the goats cheese w quince paste and pistachio's (my personal favourite), Potato spanish tortilla topped with a creamy garlic aioli, cream cheese with quince paste, olive and walnuts and lastly eggplant and olive with crumbled blue cheese. The bread was crusty on the outside, and nice and soft on the inside, and the topping's were all really fresh and made you want to go back for more! And at $2 a pop. Why wouldn't you.

Whilst seated sipping our vodka, and enjoying our pintxo's, bar staff circulate the room every 5 mins or so with a hot selection of pintxo's to temp you even further!! It worked on me, I couldn't refuse the tomato meatball with shaved parmesan one that was smelling oh so good, just sitting there on the plate being waved in front of me. Unfortunately this one was gone before I even thought about taking a pic. Sorry! But it was super yum and I'd recommend you give it a try if it's offered to you. 

Once our bellies were full, and glasses dry, it was time to tally up our tooth picks. Payment here works on an honesty system which I think is really cute. You carry your tooth picks up to the bar, and they are counted up to work out the bill. 

So how would I sum up Naked for Satan?? Well, It was a really fun way to start off our Sat night. The place has a great vibe, good crowd, some delicious authentic tasting pintxo's and a huge selection of interesting infused vodka's. Wish we could have stayed longer, and I'll def be heading back there soon!

Naked For Satan Address

285 Brunswick St

Fitzroy

Out Of Pocket

Infused Vodka: $10

Pintxo's: All $2 each (But they do a lunch time special of 80cent pintxo's Mon - Fri)