Hoagies Hauz: hidden gem amidst fast bites

I learned something new today, I always wonder what is a hoagie, so according to Wiki:

"A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, wedge, hoagie, hero, or grinder is a type of sandwich that consists of a length of bread or roll split lengthwise and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments.The sandwich has no standardized name, with over a dozen regional variations used across the U.S."

"The term hoagie originated in the Philadelphia area. The Philadelphia Bulletin reported, in 1953, that Italians working at the World War I–era shipyard in Philadelphia known as Hog Island, where emergency shipping was produced for the war effort, introduced the sandwich by putting various meats, cheeses, and lettuce between two slices of bread. This became known as the "Hog Island" sandwich; shortened to "Hoggies", then the "hoagie"."

crunchy dog

mashed potato toaties

Not exactly sure whether it is true not, but that did not deter me to try Hoagies Hauz. After few times waiting for long in Pasta Zanmai, me and Lyn wanted a fast bite in Nu Sentral but refuse to go for the typical fast food. There are some burger joints which looks appetizing, but are not pocket friendly though. On the top floor, next to GSC cinema, we manage to find this simple shop, catering for a fast bite, probably before catching a full length movie.

signature hoagie

cheezy linguine chic fillet

The whole experience is simple. Simple deco (with dimmed lighting), simple table and chairs. Order your food at the counter and it will be brought to your table. Forget about waiter coming to recommend you dish of the day. However, looking at the menu board behind the counter, there is a whole long list of different sandwiches, sub, hoagies with a few selection of baked pasta and rice. The best part is, as long as you don't compare the price to any mamak stall opposite the street, the average price here is rather impressive. Expect to spend less than RM10 for a decent hoagie, less than RM15 for a slightly sophisticated ones or pasta, and of course, there are also some slightly pricey dish.

Since Lyn likes mashed potato very much, we ordered the mashed potato toasties (RM8.20). Mash potato between a toast? That is an outright weird idea. Surprisingly it taste good. The mashed potato blended nicely between the toast with the right aroma of melted cheese. The toast may looks small, but with heavy carbs in the middle, it is more filling than it looks. The signature hoagie with grilled chicken and buttermilk sauce (RM12.50) taste good, though I prefer the sauce to have more butter taste to it. The crunchy dog (RM9.80) boasted a generous amount of melted cheese served with a large hot dog. Truly heaven for cheese lover. However, the cheese is bit overpowering that it overshadow the rest of the ingredient, including the beloved mashed potato. The cheezy linguine chic fillet (RM13.80) is a bit of hit and miss. While I loved the heavy cheese sauce baked with pasta, the whole pot felt bland with the chicken fillet tasting odd one out.

At the end of the dinner, both of us were extremely satisfied with all the food. Most of the selection (especially hoagies, hotdogs, toasties) exceeded our expectation while some felt just average. We were so happy that we came another day just to try out the rest of the menu. That would speak for our satisfaction with Hoagies Hauz.

Hoagies Hauz
L5-11, Level 5, Nu Sentral.