The tables at Hoagies aren't much used yet. Yi-ling Chen (陳怡霖) and her sister Stacy (湘文) opened their deli a little more than two weeks ago, and they haven't taken out advertisements or done a lot of promoting.
The submarine sandwiches - like the pesto and ham, NT$165 with fries and a drink - are substantial but not too large for one hand. I'd bet that when new customers discover there's a place selling subs that aren't glorified piles of mayonnaise and lettuce, they will gobble their hero up in one or two minutes.
But just because you can inhale a hoagie at Hoagies, which I did the first time I ate there, doesn't mean that you shouldn't linger and savor the experience. And the deli - modestly decorated and brightly lit, with a floor-to-ceiling window wall and a small deck outside with a table and chairs - is a great place for lingering.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOAGIES
Hoagies' sandwiches are made with roughly 100g of meat, your choice of Swiss or cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. (They'll add avocado for a small charge if you ask for it.) The mayonnaise is savory and imported from the US, not the sweet variety. Three kinds of bread - whole wheat, French and Italian-style ciabatta - are made fresh every other day. The tuna salad for the hoagies tuna (NT$150) is spooned onto the bread, not stingily spread with a knife as it is at a certain US sandwich chain.
The pesto and ham, and hoagies tuna are the most popular menu items, followed by the black pepper beef (NT$170) and veggie avocado (NT$150). All sandwiches come with fries and a drink. The menu, which will expand in the coming months, also includes six different salads, fruit and scrambled eggs during breakfast hours, fried side dishes like lemon chicken sticks (NT$180) and fish sticks (NT$180), and clam chowder (NT$60). The clam chowder is made fresh every morning, using only milk and no water. For the french fries, the potatoes are cut in thick slices and fried only after the customer has placed an order. Hoagies also offers hard-to-find soft drinks like Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper.
Yi-ling worked in a San Francisco sandwich shop for two years while attending college in nearby Oakland, and it shows. Not only does Hoagies have the recipes down, but the service is also pretty good. When I accidentally ordered a side of french fries because I didn't realize they came with my meal, Stacy automatically picked up on my bewildered expression, took the extra helping of fries back, and gave me a refund. There was no subtle guilt trip that usually accompanies this kind of transaction.
Hoagies is located on Jinan Road (濟南路), which is north of and parallel to Renai Road (仁愛路), between Xinsheng South (新生南) and Jianguo South (建國南) roads. If you're traveling south on Jianguo, turn right on Jinan and it's right there. Through Dec. 31, 2007, the deli is offering a Christmas special combo. Two sandwiches, two soft drinks and a platter of fried chicken wings, Thai lemon chicken strips, deep-fried fish sticks and french fries are NT$499.
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