Franks Hot Dogs opened last Thursday night at Cardiff Market’s event ‘Christmas Things’ to a rapturous and ravenous reception
Franks opened to a large line of hungry customers last Thursday at Cardiff Market’s ‘Christmas Things’ event. Despite the long wait, everyone was left satisfied with the end product, a freshly prepared hot dog with an array of toppings.
The event saw many Cardiff Market businesses, like Ffwrnes, Hard Lines Coffee and Kelly’s Records open after-hours for a one-off Christmas and 1980s themed event.
Franks replaces the old Cheese Pantry unit in the indoor market. It’s the second project from Cardiff indie-food stalwarts Jonathan White and Rosie Eastwood. The duo also run The Two Anchors, a street seafood kitchen at Roath’s Sticky Fingers.
“Hot dogs are a personal favourite of mine and Rosie’s,” said Jonathan. He claims the inspiration for Franks came from the pair’s travels to London, Cologne and New York. After trying and testing many on their vacation, they believe they have perfected the hot dog, using frankfurters made from outdoor reared Gloucester Old Spot pork.
They also use locally made brioche buns from Roath bakery Friends in Knead.
Customers had a choice between a pork or a vegan dog. Toppings varied from fried onions, gherkins, sauerkraut, bacon bits and much more. Jonathan also made a special house sauce for the launch. Every dog was sold at £5.
Jonathan said he was overwhelmed with the turnout on Thursday, and is happy to be part of the market scene. “For now, we want to find our feet and just get the product right. We want to offer a quality product in good surroundings, and I think the market suits us well.”
Launch night was met with rave reviews. One Twitter user, @the_littlenomad said it was the best sausage she’s had this side of Germany.
John & Jane, the graphic design company who did the branding for Franks, said in their blog, “We’ve been chatting with them about their ideas for this business for a long time and to see it come to life with big queues and even bigger smiles was so great!”
Franks is open every Monday to Saturday in Cardiff Market, 11am-4pm. You can follow them on social media for updates.