Whether you call them French Fries, Chips or Potato Fingers, Burgers’ best friends are loved all around the world, even by vegetarians. The Burger-Fries relationship is known to have started after World War 1, when White Castle, home of the then 5 cent hamburger, found out that returning veterans were asking for fried potatoes. These sliced batons of potato are cut to various thicknesses and then fried in oil until golden, varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a dusting of salt. And today it’s their day!
Just like every year, we celebrate French Fries Day by turning a blind eye onto burgers and going Potato all the way!
Whilst many millennials keep on arguing over McD and Burger King‘s fries and never bother to try out anything else, we’re restoring the balance in the war between good and evil by touring the whole island and tasting whatever Fries come in our way! Much has changed since 2017. Burger King and KFC‘s hold in the top ranks has dropped down drastically after serving us limp and flaccid fries more than 60% of the time. Badass have been busy restructuring their branding, but whilst others have stepped up their game and elevated the sweet potato, the Badass version lay dormant and fell short of a nickel to make it to the Top 5. This year we’re also featuring the more exotic Fries, the ones with more unusual cuts and flavours.
So, who are the new players of 2018?
Marsaskala area
Mr PotatoHead
Mr PotatoHead is a well-kept secret amongst Marsaskala locals. It’s part of Mo! Burgers and offers fried chips on their own in a cardboard cone. These fresh cut chips are the fruit of our local produce. If you’re into frozen fries, please do go somewhere else. If you want to get a taste of the labours of the “my life is a potato” guy and his many potato farmer friends, this is the place to be. These are thick, generously sized and hand cut potatoes like Grandma used to do them before the frozen food revolution took over. The fries are plentiful on the plate and they taste as potato as a Maltese potato can be. They are fried to the perfect temperature and are not a bit bitter from the amount of skin left on. They are always fried to order so they are hot and have a lot of hearty and savoury depth. These are one of the most heavily seasoned fries we found, but that’s a good thing. For being straight up fries, these are phenomenal!
Mr PotatoHead also have the option of sweet potatoes, and we’re big-time suckers for these! Look at the fabulous colour of those sweet fries! As big admirers of the Almighty Sweet Potato, we were thrilled that they tasted as divine as they look. There’s also 10 different dips and sauces to combine with these fries. We tried the garlic one, with cloves and cumin seeds, and the Balsamic one, made from honey and vinegar. Make sure you don’t miss out on these, as they elevate the fries to a new level of exotic taste.
There’s more to it though, and the name of the game is The Twister Dog. This is a wurstel sausage, with a radially-sliced whole potato wrapped on the outside. All are deep-fried to create a unique foodporn like we’ve rarely seen in potatoland! Mr PotatoHead definitely live up to their name and know their game inside out, so it’s no wonder that they are the undisputed King of Potatoes in the South.
Msida University area
Hangout
There’s always a lot of food buzz around the University area, as the fight for a slice of the students’ stipend rages on. Hangout have managed to come out victorious on all fronts, and apart from the student-friendly prices and genuine food, we believe that one of their secrets is acing the fries game. If it wasn’t for Hangout, NYB would win the French Fries battle hands down. These are premium potatoes with a beautiful crispy texture and a super crunch quality. Indeed, these fries come out with a crunch that lasts long enough for you to finish the whole lot. Their flavour is very potatoey, however, the most distinguishing factor must be the special mix of spices that they are covered with. These spices are imported exclusively by Hangout, and even though they were originally meant to be used with meat, Hangout have experimented and concocted measures and formulas, until they managed to succeed in a brilliant pairing. Infusing flavour in potatoes without the use of sauces is no easy feat, but Hangout has shown that it can be done. No more adjectives needed, it’s well worth visiting just to try them out!
Junior College area
Gyros & Churros
Poutine is a Canadian dish of French Fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Americans took the concept further, adding regional variations to cater to local tastes. And the evolution continues at G&C and their selection of loaded fries, ranging from cheesy fries with paprika, to the superb pulled pork ones with spring onions, to the pizza loaded fries with slices of pepperoni, salsa and loads of heavenly cheese. These Fries are the real deal for those hungry Junior College students who will not shy away from a hanzirata! This fries dish is meant to be shared between 2 or 3 people, but there will always be those hungry piggies who will eat it all on their own! Obviously, this one is a massive calorie hit, but who cares when it tastes this fantastic. The one we recommend the most has melty cheese and is topped with delicious pulled pork. When you get a forkful of all that, you might even forget about getting a burger as a main! However it’s not suffocated with an extreme amount of toppings, and the ratio of potato to condiments is just right. There are enough potatoes to scrape off the meat, BBQ sauce and cheese; that is, if you ever manage to eat it all! It’s no wonder that G&C have become a foodie landmark for students, and we can envision them eating these fries all day long, starting with late breakfast…
Sliema area
Just Burger
These are the only fries featured in our 2017 Top 5, that are making a comeback to this year’s hit list. And there’s a good reason for that! Sliema is concentrated to the brim with restaurants of all sorts, all serving fries. These bagged chips from Just Burger encapsulate the purest form and truest feel of the classic French Fry. They have a high percentage of potato content in them as Just Burger imports these exclusively from some Swedish supplier only they know of. Apart from good raw material, the kitchen guys always get the fries crisped to a level we seldom get to experience. They’re crunchy enough to withstand a vortex and come out unharmed! We’ve tested them regularly every few weeks and unlike other express food brands, the end result is always very consistent. They are generously seasoned and aren’t greasy, so they compliment a burger nicely. We suggest you get the large portion and an extra sauce dip from a selection of tasty and exotic flavours. These sauces really increase the taste properties of the fries by a tenfold. You won’t ever want to touch any other Chips!
Bugibba area
Bistroteca
Here’s an intriguing variant on sweet potatoes… round hand-sliced crisps! We rarely tasted sweet potato chips so crispy, light and flavorful! They are crusty and have an all-crunch vibe across all the surface area. Three bites in and we were hooked. They are scrumptiously sweet, solidly salted and the portions are more than generous. We haven’t been this happy since Christmas time! Every time we are in the neighbourhood, it’s a good excuse to savour these appetizing crisps again. There must surely be some sort of magic trick involved on how these are crisped up equally on both sides, as the result is amazing. A definite must try.
We will bring you more Chips News in the months to come, as restaurants and express food joints up their game, and bring French Fries to a whole new level of awesomeness!