Hotodogu @ The Gardens, Gourmet Hotdog Cafe @ Setapak & Fifteen's @ Bangsar South

Sound the sirens, it's the Attack of the Hot Dogs! A storm of sausages is coming, one in which the wiener takes it all. No point being prickly about it.

First up, an early-warning look at Hotodogu, which runs a current base in Cyberjaya & will launch a second war room by this weekend at Mid Valley's Gardens mall.

 Hot dogs here score for heartiness: We like the one with an Aussie beef sausage wrapped in beef bacon, topped with cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, BBQ sauce, mayo & onion rings (RM14.90). The sausage has a real-meat bite to it.

Tasty, though it's unlikely that hot dogs will supplant burgers as the people's choice; ceteris paribus, there seems to be something more satisfying about sinking our teeth into a burger patty.

 Did someone say burger? Man cannot live on phallic fare alone (tempting as it may be), so Hotodogu serves rice burgers too, stuffed with the likes of yakiniku-inspired beef striploin with house-made barbecue sauce & sauteed onions (RM12.90).

The fries are OK; buy the spicy chili or wasabi mayo dip for a dose of extra-creamy flavor.

Next up on this sausage fest: Gourmet Hotdog Cafe in Setapak's PV128 complex.

GHC's menu of 14 different types of hot dog recipes will surely torment indecisive customers. We narrowed our best bets down to the New York Cheese (RM12.50), a whopper of a big banger with candied beef bacon & Gouda, Monterey Jack & mozzarella cheeses.

GHC also does the Windy City proud with the closest thing in KL to a Chicago-style hot dog (RM11.50), a halal Aussie beef sausage in a poppy-seed bun with (deep breath) garlic dill pickle, sweet green pickle relish, pickled chilies, mustard, tomatoes, onions & spiced celery salt.

Vegetarian hot dogs are also available here: Try the "Angelina" (RM9.50), featuring a sausage constructed with veggies, mushrooms, onions, parsley & garlic, partnered with a chopped salad mix, sweet corn, kidney beans & jalapenos.

Or have a falafel-filled bun with guacamole & sour cream (RM10.50); GHC's recipes are imaginative & painstakingly elaborate. Plus, to uphold quality, the cafe bakes its buns & uses good meat (skinless chicken breast, lean topside beef & New Zealand lamb) for its sausages.

So whatever happened to old-fashioned hot dog stands? Glad you asked; here's one _ inexplicably named Fifteen's _ that's surfaced in The Sphere complex at Bangsar South.

Customize your own hot dog at Fifteen's: Our creation comprises beef sausage topped with mashed potatoes, cucumber relish & mustard (RM7.40).

Or opt for one of Fifteen's own recipes, like chicken sausage with carbonara sauce, melted cheese & chili flakes (RM5.90).

Fresh-tasting toasted bagels (RM4.90 each), warmed up to order, with butter are available too.

Hotodogu
The Gardens Mid Valley, opening by this weekend outside Cold Storage on LG Level.
Also at Shaftsbury Square, Cyberjaya.

Gourmet Hotdog Cafe,
37, PV128, Jalan Genting Klang, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
Daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 03-4131-4330
Fifteen's,

LG, The Sphere, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily 10am-10pm

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets.
Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013
This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link.