| rev:text
| - When I used to work at Yonge & Bloor, Dinah's Cupboard was one of my favourite shops to peruse and get lost in the details of canned apricots or gourmet chocolate. A few weeks ago when I sauntered up Duncan looking for cheap shawarma, I found instead a tacky sign that read 'Fusia Dog' with Dinah Koo's face in the window, almost beckoning you to try whatever frankenfood awaited.
Inside, the restaurant was disorganized in a way that hinted at the shop's newness. The grill/kitchen, counter, and sitting area all blend into one space. A family of 5 and a couple had already taken up the window counter and lone table space, so I sat down on a bench while Dinah looked for a TV tray to place my impending fusia dog.
I've had my go of Vancouver's japadogs and feel rather impassioned about their existence, so I knew I was coming in biased. If one would compare, I would say that fusia dog just doesn't have that edge. The namesake fusia dog basically tasted like a bahn mi, where instead of tasty meat there was a thin frankfurter that reminded me of New York City's sorry excuse for a hot dog, and instead of a thick chewy bun you had the paratha, which is an Indian flatbread that complimented the flavours quite well, surprisingly. I liked the kimchi plus wasabi mayo combo, but there's nothing new there. They were also giving away homemade crisps (proper thick salty british styled ones) and a sample of the power slaw, which tasted great. In fact, I think it might have been my favourite part of the meal.
Not to be discouraged, I also ordered a Peking Duck Quesadilla to go, hoping to steal a bite while my friend tells me if it's innovative. Unfortunately she was even harsher and said that we could have put everything together in 5 minutes with some short stops in Chinatown.
I don't regret paying $10 for an experiment, but I wouldn't return. So with buzz and no follow-up or virality, the business might hurt in the long run. Fusia Dog is just not coherent enough with their pairings and message. The ingredients were fresh and one could tell everything was made right, but the flavours were slightly off. The space was designed to be quirky, but seeing the backroom in a mess exposed all its flaws. The presentation on a banana leaf boat was excellent, but having it all carried on 50s styled lunch trays detracted from the Asian-ness of it all. Maybe as winter draws near and people are too cold to wait for their street meat, will they entertain the idea of going inside for a taste adventure. But at the end of the day, Dinah's competing with a city of street dog aficionados who are comfortable making their own crazy flavour concoctions and won't be willing to shell out money for her to make those flavour decisions for them.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)