Phat Brats, Fitzroy

Last Friday night a group of girlfriends and I headed down to Brunswick St for a cheap and gourmet hot-dog fix at Phat Brats. Now, I am not normally a hot dog kinda gal- except for on a cold day at the football. But the promise of flavours such as lamb and rosemary, pork and sage, quinoa and sweet potato along with 'cheesy' fries convinced me that this may not be your traditional hot dog joint- although they do have the traditional frankfurt in a bun also!

The setting is casual but hip- much like a Grill'd. Wooden tables and wooden walls, funky art and a big counter where you order.

The cheesy fries were... well... cheesy fries. They sound like a heart attack on a plate, and they were! I enjoyed them but felt terribly guilty with every bite that I took. I was also unsure of the cheese sauce as opposed to just melted cheese. They were screaming out for some kind of tomato salsa or something also! Definitely comfort food... but perhaps a little too comforting.

To counteract the heart attack on a plate I decided to forgo the meatier, yummy sounding hot dogs and go for the quinoa and sweet potato, topped with crushed peas and alfalfa. It looked and tasted super healthy! It was not oily at all and the sauasage itself was extremely tasty. I loved it.

My friend loved her pork and sage sausage topped with braised apple and red cabbage, fennel and puffed pork crackling. This hot dog looked and tasted (I had a little bite!) amazing. I think what Phat Brats does really beautifully is pair the yummy sausages themselves with some really fresh and textured toppings that really make it much more than a hot dog.

Another friend had the spicy chorizo, a huge juicy pork chorizo sausage, once again topped with yummy and fresh toppings.

Another dish at the table was the lamb and rosemary hot dog but she chose to leave off the toppings and opt for a more traditional hot dog.

My last dining friend chose to forgo the hot dog and re-live her American trip with a big bowl of cheesy chilli fries. I am not sure how I feel about spicy mince topped with cheese on chips! Not really my cup of tea and although she enjoyed them, she was left feeling a little ill afterwards.

Phat Brats is a very cool new addition to Brunswick St. Cheap, funky and with some relatively healthy options (and non-healthy options!) its an easy Friday night feed. I can imagine that it must frequent some very 'merry' party go-ers late at night for some cheesy fries or a hot dog to soak up some drinking!