Chip Review #46 Hard Rock Cafe, Malaga

On another uncomfortably hot day, I am in Malaga to experience the feria (for 3 hours) and of course the chips of this fine establishment.

I’d never been to a hard rock cafe before, but the inside was very interesting. Lots of memorabilia from some of music’s best known (but not best) artists.

Anyway, the chips.

Looks 3 – I don’t know why I rated these a 3, they clearly look wrong. Not golden brown, but grey.

Taste 2.5 – Did not taste great, I’m assuming old oil.

Texture 2 – These chips were… I want to say stodgy. Not great at all.

Condiments 2 – Classic stuff provided; salt, pepper etc, but, did nothing to help the flavour.

Freshness 4 – At least they were hot.

Overall – 2.5. I don’t think I’ll eat chips here again, for the price I paid I’m not impressed.

Thankyou.

Chip Review #45 Taberna Corredera, Córdoba

It’s a very very very very very warm day. My sister and I are visiting Córdoba so she can see the sights (and taste the chips). As a special treat for you we have decided to both write a review of these chips. Let’s see who is more generous….

Once again, I Saffron Farrell Horne am doing a chip review. This journey started on the 26th of July when I set off to visit my brother in spain. I have tried an array of chips so finally I have given in to the temptation to write my criticism. Not only has it been hot but it’s hotter while walking so we decided to stop off at Taberna Corredera. Straight away I knew I wanted… Some chips and a Fanta orange so that’s what I ordered.

I waited and waited. Sure it might have felt longer in the sun but how long does it take to make some chips. During this time many questions gloomed upon me like will they have enough sauce for me and what the fuck am I doing with my future.

We asked where our chips were ‘you haven’t ordered any’. We definitely had. It was clear to see the waiter was far to distracted by talking about his life to everyone and that this restaurant was not off to a good start.

Looks

Taylor 3/5 – A very uninspiring look. Not golden which shows they are under-fried. As made evident by the texture.

Saffron 3/5 – The chips entered our peripheral vision. I’m not sure what to make of these chips they came out with no salt and they are yellow. This set aside, I can see a crunchy outside which is my favourite.

Taste

Taylor 3/5 – They tasted of chips, although the salt tasted nicer than the chips themselves.

Saffron 4/5 – Although i’m not a fan of the other criteria’s I am a fan of the taste. Some are a lot better than others however it could be a lot worse. Also something has to be going for these chips otherwise they’d be pure shit.

Texture

Taylor 2/5 – I would say that around 10% of the chips were crispy and about 10% of the chips were still raw. Which leaves 80% of chips average.

Saffron 3/5 – I misjudged. They were soft. Don’t get me wrong it was a nice softness it felt as if i were to bite through a cloud but i am one for crunch.

Condiments

Taylor 1/5 – Had to salt them myself, and the ketchup and mayo sachets were warm and awful. Big no no.

Saffron 1/5 – We were given a plate of warm cheap looking sauce sachets. Tomato sauce and mayo. So being me I asked for some BBQ sauce. No. No BBQ sauce. I’m afraid I love my sauces too much and this was a big set back for me resulting in me scoring this a 2. One per type. Later on after trying the sauces which tasted like vinegar I decided to change it to a 1

Freshness

Taylor 4/5 – After forgetting our order, they did eventually come out quickly and warm.

Saffron 3/5 – The chips are hot. As I don’t do this often, I can’t tell how old the chip itself is. But what is certain is they were fried (underfried but still fried) within the last five minutes.

Price/Value for money

Taylor 1/5 – Well, for the price of €4.50, and the fact they forgot our order, not great at all. These are the quality of chips you would get for free with a meal.

Saffron 2/5 – I think for 4.50€, these chips, the sauce and every thing else could’ve been a lot nicer. Rest assured I will never get them from here again.

Overall

Taylor – One point penalty for forgetting order. 1.5/5 I would not eat chips here. Not good.

Saffron 2.6/5 – I was in the mood for some good crunchy on the outside but fluffy on the inside chips. I had hope but i was disappointed. A normal feeling however throughout my day to day life.

Thankyou.

Chip Review #44 Hans im Glück (Cologne, Germany)

On my penultimate day in Germany I have travelled to Cologne, a very nice city with a very big cathedral. We went all the way to the top (something like 522 steps… easy)

After walking around for some time we find ourselves looking for food. I feel like burgers. So here we are. Comes with chips of course.

Looks 4 – These look very nice. They kept the skins of the potatoes, giving it a great appearance.

Taste 4 – A rich potato smell, accompanied by the aftertaste of the frying oil.

Texture 4 – Nearly perfect, to be honest. The interior texture had the ideal softness. The outside of the chip could have been a little more crispy.

Condiments 5 – A platitude of sauces; BBQ, ketchup, mayo and orange-mustard. Sehr Gut!

Freshness 5 – They came out very fresh and hot.

Value for money 5 – Came free with the meal so can’t complain at all.

Overall 4.25 – The best chips I’ve eaten outside of Spain so far. Highly recommended if you are in Germany. The burgers are also good.Thankyou

Chip Review #43 Kathy’s Frietnesse (Aachen, Germany)

Another day, another plate. Our location today is a slightly cheaper place on the street. I think I will eat a lot here. I’m ordering a currywurst, chicken wings and chips. These chips.

Looks 4 – Big, nice and thick. They soonish look like the ideal chip.

Taste 2.5 – These chips are actually very similar to the English fish and chip shop equivalent. The oil was not fresh so I could taste everything else.

Texture 3.5 – Some were perfect. Others had the texture of cardboard so not great really.

Condiments 2.5 -They came with mayonnaise. Not 100% sure which brand but definitely not Hellmann’s or Heinz.

Freshness 4 – They were (re) fried very recently, but the cook neglected to tell me immediately.

Overall – 3

These were pleasant, especially to one as hungry as me…but I’m not sure they would have been as appreciated had I not been hungry.Thankyou.

Chip Review #42 AKL (Aachen, Germany)

Yet another installment as I continue my travels across Europe. Today brings me to a typical Lebanese restaurant. So much cheaper than Amsterdam already.

I’ve ordered a plate of meat and things – I didn’t understand the menu. And it comes with these…

Looks 4 – A luscious golden colour, and especially with the added Lebanese spices. They definitely look appealing.

Taste 2.5 – Unfortunately the flavour did not quite match the look. Not terrible, but not great.

Texture 3 – A good crisp on the outside, but slightly too hard on the inside.

Condiments 5 – I got three different sauces with it. Mayo, hummus and another sauce made by the restaurant. All delicious.

Freshness 5 – These came out piping hot. Estimated time from kitchen to table; 30 seconds.

Overall 3 – A good chip which is overshadowed by the rest of the food. Still worth it.

Thankyou

Chip Review #41 At James’, Amsterdam

Lunch time before we leave to Germany, to try more chips. I am very tired from all of the walking and I really, really need to eat some potatoes.

I have ordered endless ribs but of course we need to try the chips.

Looks 2.5 – These are the type of chip that are clearly pre order. Frozen. I can tell.
Taste 2.5 – They tasted like chips that were pre made and frozen.
Texture 2.5 – They had an almost false crisp. Soft sometimes.
Condiments 2.5 – Salted. Tomato sauce and mayonnaise sachets provided but not utilised.
Freshness 5 – They were piping hot which was nice, but I didn’t really eat any of them.

Overall 2.5 – From this moment onwards, any low quality frozen chip will not get a score higher than 2.5 (50%)

Thankyou

Chip Review #40 Burger Fabriek, Amsterdam

I was recommended by my sister to try the wall chips, here we go. I have high expectations.

I must say that Amsterdam is a very nice place and there is a lot of sex stuff around. Interesting for sure. Anyway, to the chips.

Looks 4 – They look very nice and golden… Apologies for the photo quality I was walking at the time.

Taste 4 – A nice rich taste of potato and the oil used left a delicious aftertaste.

Texture 3 – Not as crunchy as I would have liked but still soft inside.

Condiments 3 – Only salt, other condiments costed more.

Freshness 4 – Strangely, considering I saw them being cooked in front of me, they were not extremely hot. Strange.

Overall 3.75 – Better than the other chips I’ve tried here so far. But (at least) one more review to go.

Thank you

Chip Review #39 Cafe Carbòn, Amsterdam

First day in Amsterdam and I’m excited to try the chips. However my day, or quite possibly my life, has been ruined by Federers loss at Wimbledon today. Oh well…let’s see what we have…

Looks 4 – They look nice. I can’t believe I watched it for 5 hours to end like that.

Taste 3 – He had two match points. Two.

Texture 2 – I don’t care, nothing’s good enough to impress me now.

Condiments 3 – They had mayonnaise.

Freshness 5 – Very hot and fresh. Unlike Federer now.

Overall – 3. I want to cry.Thankyou

Chip Review #38 El Polígono Vado Hermoso, Cabra

Back to my usual routine of eating many chips in few days and then not eating them for ages. At the moment, I have many opportunities to try new chips so let’s do this.

Today I am eating in a restaurant that gives a ridiculous amount of food for the cost.

Looks 4 – They seem homemade… Or do they? Whatever the truth is, they look nice with a golden glow.
Taste 4 – These chips are a significant improvement on the chips I had last week. They have flavour!
Texture 3 – This was a letdown though, very soft inside but not crispy at all.
Condiments 4 – Salted, with alioli as a side. Very yummy.
Freshness 4 – At first I gave these a 5, but realised quickly that they weren’t actually that not.

Overall 3.75 – A good standard chip that satisfies hunger and taste.

Thankyou.

Chip Review Special – Budapest

Day One

For something different, I will review as many chips as posible whilst in the Hungarian capital.Our first encounter takes us to a bar called… Összesítô… Maybe? I’ve ordered a burger and it comes with chips.

Looks 3 – What more can I say?

Taste 3 – Maybe I am becoming Gordon Ramsay, but I really can taste when the chips are frozen.

Texture 2 – Unevenly cooked; somehow they are raw and burnt at the same time.

Condiments 2 – I had to order sauces which were decent enough.

Freshness 4 – From my seat I could see them being fried, at least they weren’t microwaved I guess.

Overall – 2.5O

Our next place is called Escobar. It’s a restaurant by the river and it’s really expensive for what it is. The Hungarian speciality, paprika chicken, was underwhelming. As were these…

Looks 3 – They do have a more ‘handcut’ appeal, yet, I can see the under cooked-mess.

Taste 2 – A generic potato taste and nothing more to say.

Texture 2 – Not crunchy, but not soft. Worse than either possibility.

Condiments 2 – Came with knockoff Heinz ketchup, had to apply salt myself.

Freshness 4 – They were fresh enough to eat. If they had been cold, I wouldn’t have bothered.

Overall – 2.5

Day Two

Next day we are continuing with the reviews, I have a hunger that is going to be difficult to satiate. But let’s try anyway. I’m in a restaurant called Magdalena Merlo. I got some sort of breaded meat, not bad at all. And obviously chips.

Looks 2 – These chips looked anemic if nothing else. Perhaps my growing discontent of not having found decent chips was starting to lower my ratings further.

Taste 2 – They were bland. Somehow didn’t even taste of oil.

Texture 1 – Soft and pasty. Not a single crisp in sight.

Condiments 2 – They were salted, at least. Not that it did anything.

Freshness 3 – They were fresh, yet cold. Not sure how that was possible really.

Overall – 2 Worst of the bunch I’m afraid.

So, not a great experience with chips here, which is a shame as the other food was nice. I had intended to find the Buda-best chips but instead I found the Buda-worst.

Thankyou.