Dr. Franks Sausages: Tokyo 'Chil on Schublig

Dr. Franks Sausages may have opened only in March 15th this year, but they've got the food down pat, serving nothing but the freshest (and I have this on very good authority) sausage sandwiches this side of the province. It's a family business for now---the baby of the Lee's---who watch over their first-born business venture like a hawk.

I sampled their Schublig topped with Tokyo 'Chil as recommended by Mrs. Adrienne Lee (It's her latest favorite). It was stupendously good. You might, at first, cringe at the combination of traditional Swiss sausage topped with onions and radish-carrot pickled in brine, garnished with hair-thin nori strips and a thoughtfully concocted wasabi sauce. Now, if you're an avid Japanese food lover, you're likely to demand massive amounts of wasabi but what Dr. Ted Lee did to his special Tokyo Chil was keep the stinging at 2-minutes max, so it actually doesn't overpower the Schublig or any other component of the sandwich. At first bite, there's the hit of wasabi, the sweet ocean taste of nori, then more succulent sweetness from the radish-carrot pickles. This initial onslaught dies down and the smoky flavor of the beef-pork sausage comes thru. Even lovelier is the homemade wheat bread. It's moist and substantial and most importantly, it's not sweetened (unlike some whole wheat breads sold in the market).

Wheat bread isn't the only ingredient Dr. Lee makes himself after doctor-ing hours. He makes the pickles too and replenishes his stock as needed. What follows is a recipe of a similar pickle that I found online. This isn't Dr. Lee's recipe but it gives me a flavor profile.

Daikon and Carrot Pickle
from http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/daikon-and-carrot-pickle-recipe-do-chua.html

Try this daikon and carrot pickle recipe once and then tweak the recipe to your liking. Variations of the include adding tangy-sweet-pungent pickled shallots (cu kieu) to the mixture, as well as making heavier on the carrot side than the daikon side. I prefer to keep a higher ratio (say 2:1) of daikon to carrot as I like the mild bite of daikon radish. I like a tangy-sweet flavor whereas you can alter the ratio of sugar to vinegar to make the brine sweeter, and hence affect the pickle’s flavor.

Makes about 3 cups

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 pound daikons, each no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water

1. Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to a 1-quart jar for longer storage.

2. To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Beyond that point, they get tired.

Recipe from: Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors (2006, Ten Speed Press)

Tokyo 'Chil was named after one of the business' partners. The rest of the menu (which Adrienne pens herself with liquid chalk) sport the same sassy names and all of them with a medical vibe. This makes not too fine a point on the owner of the business being a doctor by profession, but more importantly, it stresses their health-food image. The weight conscious will have a ball eating here, as they can request half-a-sandwich. I for one will go for the half portions, not because I'm dieting, but because I'm in a hurry to try all the incarnations of six sausage types times ten toppings! 6 x 10 = 60! I've tried one sandwich for now and I'm looking forward to mix-and-matching. Although it doesn't say on Adrienne's menu board, Dr. Franks can make any sandwich combination you request, so if you'd like a simple mustard and mayo, that's fine too. Others have even gone for sausages on a stick.

For now we're forced to drive to JY Square in Lahug, Cebu City, for one of these sandwiches. The stall is located at the mall's entrance C. From the Gorordo-side gate (McDonald's), it's straight up to JY's grocery entrance on the left side. If you're coming up from basement parking like I did, the lift will drop you off beside Watson's. Take a left beyond the escalators and you can't miss the red stall. Better yet, follow the scent trail. These sausages are so good, when they're grilling they bring out the hound in you.