New York Dreams was probably one of the first stores to bring American style fast food to Adelaide. Several years ago, such a place would have been a novelty, but these days, it’s become an all too common sight.

My American friend tells me that this place makes her miss home. Why? Because this is the type of food she grew up with. Their offerings include 10 types of hot dogs, fries, nachos, southern fried chicken, chicken wings and nuggets. They even have a selection of American confectionery and soft drinks.

This place feels small with only a handful of indoor bar stool seats and some more seating outside. One the main walls is full of American themed posters and picture frames, but generally the space feels cluttered.

The Harlem Chilli Dog consists of a smoked frankfurt, beef chilli (chilli con carne) and cheese.

This hot dog came with a copious amount of cheese and mustard sauces. In fact, I thought it was a bit too much, because getting it all over me was unavoidable. The frankfurt had a smokey taste, while the chilli was mild in flavour with good depth. The roll was fresh and firm, and it was easy to bite into. At this place, they really pack the ingredients into the hot dog as the frankfurt kept on falling out while eating. While the sauces did improve the presentation, adding too much did affect the overall taste.

The Dream consisted of a cheese kransky, bacon, cheese, onion and ketchup.

I prefer cheese kranskys because the fat is replaced with something more appetising, cheese. I also like how the cheese melts into the crevices of the meat to produce something that’s quite dreamy in itself. Underneath the kransky were bacon bits which could have been fried until they were crunchy. The onion was nicely caramelised, and the bun was nice and firm. Again, they didn’t scrimp on the ingredients, with my kransky continually falling out and the sauce getting all over me. Like the last hot dog, it was just too saucy, although I seemed to prefer the first one better.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing is reasonable. Each hot dog was $8.95 which is what food trucks charge you these days. The average cost of something on their menu is around $10 with the most expensive items just under the $12 mark.

The hot dogs were good but I’ve experienced more interesting ingredient combinations.

WHERE: 44A Semaphore Rd, Semaphore