Dog Dog Japan Skyview Plaza Sydney CBD

Dog Dog Japon is a casual eatery that opened in a section of Skyview Plaza on George Street in the last month. It's easy to miss this small fast food style fare as it is tucked away in a retail plaza. Once you step inside Skyview Plaza, Dog Dog Japon is visible to the right of the main entrance. My friends and I arrived at 8pm on a Friday night. There wasn't much seating for customers of Dog Dog Japon, so we were prompted to sit down before ordering, in case the seats were taken by others. The ambience wasn't much to speak for as it was situated in a food court style setting. However Dog Dog Japon did try to add their own unique style to the environment, with a multi-coloured picket fence going around the counter, gingham canopies and white crochet tablecloths.



The cuisine served at Dog Dog Japon is a fusion between Western and Japanese. They serve hot dogs with Japanese flavours, similar to Chanoma Cafe, but I found that they had more variety in menu options at Dog Dog Japon. For lovers of traditional Japanese cuisine, there are hot dogs that come in okonomiyaki, yakisoba and chicken karaage flavouring, as well as many others.





At Dog Dog Japon, you order your meals at the counter and pay before you receive your food. In this way, it's very similar to fast food. I opt for the Okonomi Dog in the long size ($5.50) with a side of Chips ($4.50) with a topping of Mentaiko Butter ($1.50). There was a variety of drinks served that weren't listed on the menu including Salted Caramel Milk ($4.90), Milo Milk ($4.90) and Strawberry Milk ($4.90). For people who didn't favour milky drinks, there were also juices including Lime Mint ($4.90), Blueberry Lime ($4.90) and Lemonade ($4.90).



I ordered the Salted Caramel Milk to go with my food, and received a small handheld beeper that would alert me when my food was ready.



It wasn't long before my food was ready and I picked it up from the counter. The staff were friendly and polite. I liked the presentation of my food, and thought it looked delicious and very appetising.





My Okonomi Dog definitely had the distinct flavour of okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake with the main ingredient of cabbage, of which usually includes toppings like seafood or chicken, and is garnished with dried bonito flakes, seaweed, okonomi sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. My Okonomi dog was made to resemble traditional okonomiyaki, as it was garnished with all these toppings, plus additional slices of ginger. The kransky sausage was tasty and well-cooked. Although I'm usually not a fan of ginger, however in this instance, the ginger was the perfect addition to the hot dog and gave it an interesting flavour hit. The bread was warm and fresh.





The mayonnaise contrasted with the taste of the ginger, giving different flavours of creamy, mild and tangy. The only thing I could fault it with was that the Okonomi Dog lacked okonomi sauce (similar to barbecue sauce), an important garnish for okonomiyaki. Other than the absence of an ingredient, I liked the taste of the hot dog, and would gladly eat it again.



My chips with mentaiko butter were also good. In this instance, the mentaiko butter was what saved the dish. The chips were thick cut, lightly salted and garnished with herbs, but was average in taste. Once I dipped them in the mentaiko butter though, they were given a tangy burst of flavour. Mentaiko is a type of fish roe, which is similar to caviar but orange in colour. I'm a big fan of mentaiko, and was not disappointed by this buttery concoction.



I also enjoyed my salted caramel milk, and drank every last drop. It was cold, refreshing and sweet. The most obvious flavours in the drink were milk and sugar. Although the drink was nice, I couldn't really taste any hint of saltiness, which I felt was a disappointment as the drink was advertised as salted caramel. I enjoyed my experience at Dog Dog Japon, but can't say the same for my friends.





One of my friends ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Dog in the small size ($3.90), and stated that the chicken teriyaki was coated with an abundance of mustard seeds that overpowered the taste of the teriyaki sauce.



Another friend also remarked her disappointment in the Yakisoba Dog in small size ($3.90) as she thought it would be noodles on top of a hot, but found that the bun was simply filled with yakisoba noodles.



My friend thought her lime and mint juice a bit too sweet for her liking. All in all, I liked the food and drinks at Dog Dog Japon, but found it inconsistent as my friends did not. The location of it makes for a tasty, quick and cheap meal, and it is a place that I would likely come back to.

Rating: 6.5/10

Where: Skyview Plaza, 537-555 George Street Sydney NSW
Why: For hot dogs with a Japanese twist
Cost: Hot dogs range from $3.90 -$5.50
When: Open 7 days, from 11:30am - 10:00pm

Good for kids: Yes
Take away: Yes

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