Rosheen Kaul loves a pack that’s always on sale, Tom Sarafia goes to a Greek restaurant for his chips, while Thi Le hits up a fast-food chain for her faves.
Ask a chef about chips and you’ll still be talking seasoning, crunch and condiments hours later. Chips might be one of the more humble snacks out there, but it’s not just a matter of throwing some potatoes in oil, adding salt and hoping for the best. Oil temperature, thickness, colour, shatter-point, and the level of seasoning all play their part. Like all simple dishes, the devil is in the details.
These chefs have pinpointed who’s taking care at every step of the process. Below are the packets of crisps and spots for hot chips that nine Melbourne chefs turn to every time. Take note.
Thi Le, Anchovy and Ca Com, Richmond
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
I go through stages. I don’t have one [brand] that I always get. My partner loves chips so often it’s whatever she decides to get. But I enjoy vegetable chips, especially sweet potato chips. It feels healthy and there’s a lovely sweetness to them. And they are great as a hiking snack because they are not salty so it helps keep water consumption in check. I also really like basic salted chips: Smith’s, Proper Crisps, Smith’s double crunch! Good foil for steak tartare on the road.
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What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
Five Guys. Their chips actually taste like potatoes, and I love the Cajun seasoning. They use Victorian potatoes that are chipped daily and fry them in peanut oil so there is a nutty flavour. I also order a malt milkshake – divine.
Tom Sarafian, Zareh, Collingwood
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
At Zareh, the whole team is loving Feel Good Foods Nacho Cheese Corn Chips from Clay Health and Organics next door. We grabbed a pack once, and they were such a hit that they’ve become a bit of a team tradition. If someone’s heading out for a quick grocery run, chances are they’re coming back with a bag to share. We dip them in the hummus we serve at the restaurant for the ultimate afternoon snack. Corn chips and hummus is the best!
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
Jim’s Greek Tavern in Collingwood. The chips at Jim’s are hand-cut and cooked in olive oil which is, in my opinion, the best way to cook chips. They feel and taste homemade, cooked with love. My partner’s family makes chips the same way in Lebanon and it really makes all the difference. I love dipping hot chips in toum, the Lebanese garlic sauce. It’s one of the greatest combinations of all time (chips with hummus is close second though!)
Scott Stevenson, Royal Oak Hotel, Marquis of Lorne and Sporting Club Hotel
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
Chappy’s Chips has just released a salt and vinegar flavour that marries up its kettle-cooked crisps (they have the best crunch) with my fave flavour. Bonus points for them being locally made.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
My ultimate hot chips are at Pipis Kiosk, on the beach in Albert Park. Jordan [Clay, the chef] uses Edgell Supa Crunch chips, which are top tier as the chips are lightly battered and stay hot and crunchy for longer. I have them with aioli that’s made in-house. After a swim in the bay, hot chips and a cold beer at the kiosk is elite.
Raph Rashid, Beatbox Kitchen, Juanita Peaches and Taco Truck
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
Growing up I loved Ruffles (hehe), but now I like Proper Crisps in the Marlborough Salt flavour. I like the thickness and crunch, and the seasoning is always spot on.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
Hawkes Farm in Boneo on the Mornington Peninsula. The potatoes are grown right there and the chips have a good amount of craggy edges. There are always a couple of standout chips in the serve. I like to have them with sour cream and a little chilli oil. It takes me back to ’90s wedge life. But to do this, I take the chips back to my mother-in-law’s house in Rye. I sit the chips on the passenger seat and I always fail the greatest test of human discipline (not eating chips on the way home). When I get back to the house, I respectfully re-jig the box of chips so it looks like I haven’t touched them. Back home I BYO sour cream and almond chile oil.
Rosheen Kaul, chef and cookbook author
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
Smith’s Cheese & Onion Crinkle Cut, forever and ever. Overwhelmingly tasty, a little palate-destroying, and still heavily seasoned even as the seasoning has slowly disappeared from other chip brands. Some other cheese-flavoured chips taste a little too real. These guys do it just right: sharply pungent onion perfectly balancing creamy, savoury, unidentifiable cheese. These chips pack a serious umami punch. Plus they’re always on sale.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
I once worked at Maccas so I’m trained in chip quality-assurance. Without a doubt, the chips at Sporting Club Hotel in Brunswick are top-notch: always hot, crisp and very well-seasoned. You can tell they take their chips very seriously; they’re doing all the small things right. The chips are served with a real tasty gravy, too, which really elevates the pub chip experience for me. I’m also a mayo/aioli fiend, so a jug of hot gravy plus mayo to double-dip is some fine eating. All that’s missing is a crisp pint of Carlton Draught.
Harry Stephens, Chappy’s Chips (ex-Movida, Quay)
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
My favourite brand of chips was Kettle in the 1990s and early 2000s. The chips tasted like potato and had the best crunch I can remember. The Honey Baked Ham was my absolute favourite flavour.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
Hot chips are inconsistent. Potatoes change seasonally and they might be cooked differently to the last time you ate them. For flavour and hand-cut chips, I recommend Five Guys burger restaurants. They source potatoes specifically for hot chips, leave the skin on, and double-cook them to order. If I want a fast food chip, I get Hungry Jack’s. It dumped shoestring fries a few years ago for a thicker, crunchier chip. They are 10 times better than McDonald’s and KFC will ever be. If I could choose my own seasoning, I’d add chicken salt and a lot of it. A Coke with a heap of ice or a root beer is also a good idea.
Mark Hannell, Reed House, Melbourne CBD
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
Walker’s Monster Munch Pickled Onion. If you’re lucky, you can score these in the international aisle of Woolies. These crisps are salty with a good punch of acid and lots of texture. They’re not to be confused with the inferior French brand Vico’s Monster Munch that my partner Bec brought into the kitchen once – criminal!
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
It’s hard to go past Northern Soul Chip Shop in St Kilda. It’s a proper chippy. They pay homage to the chip shops of Britain and Ireland, and do it very well. Chips and curry sauce is the best combo. That fluorescent yellow sauce full of spice and nostalgia is the perfect dipping sauce. You’ve got to hit the chips with lots of salt and malt vinegar too. Can we please start a campaign to normalise malt vinegar on chips in Australia? Northern Soul also sells cans of IRN-BRU, the Scottish soft drink, to wash it all down with – what more could you need?!
Aileen Seo, Baguette Studios, North Melbourne & Seoul Tiger, CBD
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
Thins Salt and Vinegar. They have a perfect balance of salt and vinegar notes.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
While I love our jamon fries at Seoul Tiger, Gimlet in the CBD is my other go-to. I’ve always loved the classic combination of steak and chips, so that’s usually what I order. The chips are golden, perfectly fried crisp, and just salty enough to make them completely addictive. Although I usually have them with steak, they’re actually really great dipped into the soft serve. It sounds unusual, but the salty and sweet combination works really well.
Keat Lee, Lagoon Dining, Carlton
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
I love an original flavoured potato chip. Chappy’s Australian Sea Salt chips are always a winner. They’re locally made, super crunchy, perfectly seasoned. Not a bad snack after service with a few of the sambals we have on our menu.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne (or regional Victoria)?
In the city, I like Five Guys. The chips are always made fresh to order so they never taste stale. To make things even better, the portion sizes are outrageous. It’s like a never-ending paper bag of hot chips. No visit is complete without a burger, and I like to douse my chips in malt vinegar. Top it off with a chocolate thick shake. Outside Melbourne, I recently visited Hawkes Farm, a potato grower, on a trip down to the Mornington Peninsula. Safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Chips are triple-cooked and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Amazing value too for $8 a serve.
Raphael Exton Pery, JollyGood Diner, Collingwood
What’s your favourite packet of chips, and why?
I have two: Chappy’s Habanero and Mango, and Smith’s Salt and Vinegar for a nostalgic classic.
What’s your top place for hot chips in Melbourne or regional Victoria?
Aside from my own venue? Croxton Rooster, my local chicken and chip shop. Plenty of chicken salt is all I need! Paired with their charcoal chicken, some mayo and some JollyGood curry ketchup, the chips really tie the meal together. Sometimes I also sprinkle over feta and Greek oregano.
