Big Apple Hot Dogs, Shoreditch

Hi friends. I've been really really busy recently. In fact, I didn't really plan on posting on this blog pretty much ever again but I went to Big Apple Hot Dogs and Sam had her camera with her. It's really good, check out some pictures:

Abiye Cole, the main man behind BAHD, patrols this corner of Shoreditch decked out in red...looking suspiciously like LL Cool J. Ever see them in the same room together? Thought not.

The cart itself is pretty cool, with a flat-top griddle nestled alongside some vats filled with water, which get the dogs up to temperature internally before being transferred to the griddle to finish them off and blister their snappy skins. Condiments sit out at the front for customers to help themselves.

The Big Frank (£3.50)

Half beef, half pork frankfurter. Really excellent quality meat in a natural casing which is given a really good snap from the griddle, as expected.

Other hot dogs are available, with varieties including an all-pork sausage, as well as an all-beef number.

Abiye sets up Tuesday to Friday on Old St, from around 12pm until 6pm, though follow him on Twitter (@BigAppleHotDogs) for updates. I understand he's just joined the eat.st collective, which can only be fantastic for him and London's burgeoning street food scene. His hot dogs are honestly the best I've ever tried, though I couldn't claim to be any great authority on 'pimp steaks' - visits to Nathan's, Gray's Papaya, Papaya King and Crif Dogs in NYC are as far as my knowledge extends. BAHD is easily better than all of those. It's all about the quality of the dogs themselves; they don't actually need any condiments at all, but they're not any worse with some of his fantastic sauerkraut and a squiggle of yellow mustard. The buns (baked especially for BAHD, I believe) are also really soft and squishy and provide a decent vessel for the dogs.

If you work or live anywhere near Old Street, pay BAHD a visit and see for yourself just how good they are.