19 February 2015

Best of Canberra - Hot chips

| Bec Cuzzillo
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stock-fries-chips-takeaway-fast-food

In my opinion, there isn’t much that beats sitting down to a big serve of hot chips. Sometimes they come wrapped in more than a few layers of butcher’s paper. Other times they arrive in a big bowl with some sort of fancy seasoning and secret sauce on the side. I even know of a cafe in Canberra that serves their hot chips in cake tins lined with baking paper.

This week I’m putting the call out for Canberra’s best hot chips. I want to know where the best fried sticks of potato are found in the capital. Salted, unsalted. Seasoned, unseasoned. Sauce or no sauce. Where are they?

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My hands are up for Grill’d as well.
yummyy yummy. Delicious chips 🙂

screaming banshee9:34 pm 22 Feb 15

Matt42150 said :

U & Co Cafe in Kaleen has really good chips, same as Cafe injoy in Gold Creek (When not over seasoned).

Very common, actually McCain beer battered steak fries. I was disappointed when ona Fyshwick lost their chef a couple of years back and the menu switch up saw these changed out for an inferior fry

U & Co Cafe in Kaleen has really good chips, same as Cafe injoy in Gold Creek (When not over seasoned).

The beer battered chips at the Royal Hotel in Qbn are also excellent.

pink little birdie2:45 pm 21 Feb 15

FrankyG said :

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week. So if you’re near the Hyperdome in the next 7 days come in for a free small chips and gravy. Just mention the RiotACT and tell em Frank sent you.

Thanks chips and Gravy I’ve been craving them since I read this topic.
So glad lincraft was closed in woden forcing us to go to tuggers.
My vote is for kingsleys

I know I’m taking this outside of Canberra but should you find yourself at Culburra Beach NSW the chips at AJ’s are the business. I was there on the weekend and there was a guy who walked in from an outside table having just finished his lunch and he told the lady behind the counter that they were the best he’d tasted and if he had to travel all the way from Sydney to have them again he would do that. Another customer walked in and ordered chips and the lady told him that they take 8 minutes to cook, because of the size and ensuring they are cooked properly. I reckon they’re pretty good too.

I like the hand cut old style ones they sell at Bernie’s From the Bay at the Charnwood shops. Yummy every time.

Another vote for the rosemary covered chips at Grill’d!

Those, with the Avocado burger, are just heaven!

Urban Bean Cafe in Scarborough House Woden. Amazing seasoning.

The nando’s peri peri chips are pretty great too.

Dame Canberra5:17 pm 19 Feb 15

FrankyG said :

Dame Canberra said :

FrankyG said :

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week..

Hey FrankyG, that’s a phenomenal amount of chips per week. How many serves do you reckon you get out of a tonne?

Around 3000 serves per week

Impressive!

bluefrostii said :

probably not classified as your typical hot chips, but cant go past the waffle chips at the mandalay bus in braddon! To die for.

What, what, what? Oh, I am there.

FrankyG said :

Are you able to shed some light on what happened to the one in Woden? People always there, but still closed its doors. There’s an opportunity there.

Kingsleys Woden is just moving upstairs near Bakers Delight. Should be open in May. This way the store can stay open nights as well

Wow! That will be some choice. Chips from Kingsley’s or scallops from Woden Fish Market next door …

Dame Canberra said :

FrankyG said :

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week..

Hey FrankyG, that’s a phenomenal amount of chips per week. How many serves do you reckon you get out of a tonne?

Around 3000 serves per week

Are you able to shed some light on what happened to the one in Woden? People always there, but still closed its doors. There’s an opportunity there.

Kingsleys Woden is just moving upstairs near Bakers Delight. Should be open in May. This way the store can stay open nights as well

probably not classified as your typical hot chips, but cant go past the waffle chips at the mandalay bus in braddon! To die for.

Postalgeek said :

Manuka Charcoal Chicken, back in the 80s and 90s. Soggy in the bag, but so good. And never sullied by chicken salt.

Chips are small fry. Potato scallops are for the connoisseurs on a mission. A couple of lightly salted crispy yet soft scallops is deep fried evil.

The chips at Manuka Charcoal Chicken were cooked to a crisp on their last trading day.

Manuka Charcoal Chicken, back in the 80s and 90s. Soggy in the bag, but so good. And never sullied by chicken salt.

Chips are small fry. Potato scallops are for the connoisseurs on a mission. A couple of lightly salted crispy yet soft scallops is deep fried evil.

Dame Canberra12:07 pm 19 Feb 15

FrankyG said :

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week..

Hey FrankyG, that’s a phenomenal amount of chips per week. How many serves do you reckon you get out of a tonne?

FrankyG said :

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week. So if you’re near the Hyperdome in the next 7 days come in for a free small chips and gravy. Just mention the RiotACT and tell em Frank sent you.

Are you able to shed some light on what happened to the one in Woden? People always there, but still closed its doors. There’s an opportunity there.

Kalliste said :

astrojax said :

the watson takeaway give good chip.

but what is this [insert expletive] chicken salt that seems to proliferate these days??? chip = potato, cut into stick, double [or triple] deep fried, popped onto butcher’s paper and liberally dusted in old fashioned salt, sprinkled with vinegar, eaten hot…

These days? Chicken salt has been a thing on chips for at least a decade. Not really some new fandangled thing, plus it’s usually optional. I remember they used to charge people more for chicken salt for a while.

I was asked if I wanted chicken salt on my chips in Parkes in 1986. That was the first time I’d heard of it as an option.

astrojax said :

the watson takeaway give good chip.

but what is this [insert expletive] chicken salt that seems to proliferate these days??? chip = potato, cut into stick, double [or triple] deep fried, popped onto butcher’s paper and liberally dusted in old fashioned salt, sprinkled with vinegar, eaten hot…

These days? Chicken salt has been a thing on chips for at least a decade. Not really some new fandangled thing, plus it’s usually optional. I remember they used to charge people more for chicken salt for a while.

Has to be Kingsleys! I am biased though as I’ve owned the Tuggeranong franchise for the last 10 years. My store alone does over 1 tonne of chips a week. So if you’re near the Hyperdome in the next 7 days come in for a free small chips and gravy. Just mention the RiotACT and tell em Frank sent you.

the watson takeaway give good chip.

but what is this [insert expletive] chicken salt that seems to proliferate these days??? chip = potato, cut into stick, double [or triple] deep fried, popped onto butcher’s paper and liberally dusted in old fashioned salt, sprinkled with vinegar, eaten hot…

Cape Cod at Deakin shops usually do nice hot chips.

My best mate lives in the UK, one of the first things she wants to eat when she comes home is Kingsleys chips. So they have to be good.

I don’t rate them at all, I much prefer french fries.

Kaleen Takeway’s chips used to be yummy, but wasn’t impressed by the last batch.

Alexandra Craig1:34 pm 18 Feb 15

The one time I went to Kingsleys, I just thought their chips were the same thing as oven fries.

Kingsleys do the best chips in the ACT!!!!

I am voting for Kingsleys as well.

Thick cut chips means that they are able to maintain their temperature for longer, as opposed to McDonald’s fries which are stone cold in a couple of minutes flat. It’s also the fact that Kingsleys have trained their staff to fill the bag, put it into a bigger bag, and then chuck a few more chips in on top!

Awesome chips plus generous serving size = clear winner.

Ben_Dover said :

Cookery Nook in Hawker

As soon as I saw the heading I knew Cookers would get a vote! Pretty hard to beat.

Grill’d chips are good, but often have too much salt. That’ll ruin any good chip.

I prefer thinner chips but also like the chicken sort of flavour you get from places like Kingsleys. Which is why the poultry place (don’t know its name, sorry) outside Supabarn in the city is excellent! Shoestring fries style and very tasty, with or without chicken salt.

Madam Cholet7:59 am 18 Feb 15

I think the thing that makes Kingsleys chips good is the chicken salt. I’d say the same about KFC. I haven’t had either meals for years as the rest of their food is rubbish.

Barry_Australia10:45 pm 17 Feb 15

Another vote for Kingsleys

I have never enjoyed chips from grill’d. The texture is like salty cardboard. Recently had the chips at Rodney’s cafe and really enjoyed the lemon pepper seasoning. Also quite fond of the dobinsons chips. Two hands have a very home cooked style chip.

Another vote for Grill’d.

The chips from Marble and Grain were pretty delicious, only been there once though. You could actually tell they were once a potato.

I rarely buy chips, as most servings are too big for one person. I buy one or two potato scallops instead. But when I buy chips I like them to be thin and crisp. Chips are one of the few thing that McDonald’s does well, and the serving is a good size, smaller than most servings elsewhere. Okay, they call them fries, but I call them chips when I ask for them. Until McCafe it was the only thing I ever bought from McDonalds. (McCafe can usually be guaranteed to be open when other cafes have closed before my afternoon coffee break.)

Another vote for Kingsley’s chips, with the sweet potato chips from Grill’d a close second.

Cookery Nook in Hawker

VYBerlinaV8_is_back10:57 am 17 Feb 15

Good beer battered chips are a bit hit and miss in Canberra, but the basic Kingsley’s ones are both tasty and consistent.

BombaySapphire10:16 am 17 Feb 15

Grilld are my favourite for consistent goodness (herby mayo to dip them in – bliss!). Runner up would be the beer battered ones at Edgar’s Inn in Ainslie.

Holden Caulfield9:44 am 17 Feb 15

Back in the day the winner and by some considerable margin would have been chips and gravy from Rolls Choice.

These days it’s hard to go past the chips from Grill’d.

@Milly, The Belgian Beer Cafe is closed until further notice apparently. TBH I’ve never found their food to be much more than barely acceptable. And I know it is a beer cafe, but being asked how to make a gin and tonic was a bit of a worry.

Kingsleys!

Milly Withers9:28 am 17 Feb 15

Also, and this is terrible, I know… But I have a soft spot for Kingsleys chips. Guilty pleasure.

Milly Withers9:27 am 17 Feb 15

The chips at the Belgian Beer Cafe in Kingston are really good. Otherwise, I reckon you can’t beat takeaway chips with lots of vinegar from Curtin Takeaway.

Maple + Clove in Barton do awesome sweet potato chips.

Can’t comment on any others as I can’t stand potato chips.

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