Restaurant Report - Bubbledogs in London - NYTimes.com Paul Winch-Furness A hot dog paired with a glass of Champagne at Bubbledogs. London's restaurant scene can seem awash with culinary redundancies. How many more ramen soup bars can the city really support? Do we really need another Peruvian restaurant with a "bespoke" pisco bar? So it's a delight when clever culinary novelty hits town. To wit: Bubbledogs, a restaurant opened last August that revels in its Champagne selection, but substitutes hot dogs for caviar on its menu. After a stint working together at Copenhagen's much-celebrated Noma, Bubbledogs" married owners, Sandia Chang and James Knappett, the chef, settled in London and collaborated on a simple concept: an unassuming Champagne bar with seating for 35 that serves only single-estate pours and a clutch of high-end hot dogs. Also on the menu are craft beers and icy, baroque cocktails, like the Snowy, a martini made with Death Door Gin and laced with Compass Box Peat Monster Scotch and a spray of absinthe, served in a chilled silver Champagne coupe. The dining area is as roomy as a sea container, but much more handsome. A copper-clad bar stands out in a room with reclaimed oak floors and exposed brick. Also on the premises is Kitchen Table, run by the owners. Here, Mr. Knappett whips up a 10- to 15-course tasting menu of small plates like crispy chicken skin with rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam. But the main front room with its hot dogs and heart-choking sides is far more lively. My American dining companion and I ordered the Sloppy Joe Dog. It was sinfully delicious: an airy bun held a long and lean pork hot dog drowned in cumin-perfumed chili, wilted onions and sharp Cheddar. To see a side like American-style tater tots on a London menu is like seeing a mirage: the English have their version, but they are dry and gluey, and shouldn't really be placed in the same class. The ones at Bubbledogs were excellent. We ordered flutes of Demarne-Frison Goustan Brut, a Champagne with the baritone fruitiness of guava and the intense mineral crispness of crushed seashells. The chill and effervescence of the Champagne were the perfect foil to our greasy meal - which, it turns out, is exactly the idea. "You don't need excessively fancy food to bring out the best of a good wine," Ms. Chang said. In fact, sometimes I believe the simpler and less affected, the better. Bubbledogs, 70 Charlotte Street, London; (44) 20-7637-7770; bubbledogs.co.uk. A meal for two, with glasses of Champagne, about £75, or $111 at $1.48 to the pound.