I’ve travelled the world to find the best hot chips and French fries

Move over McDonald's, this traveller has found many worthy rivals for the title of the world's best hot chips, from fast food to high-end restaurants.

At Bistro Rex, the ultra-glam Gallic restaurant in Sydney’s Potts Point, I craved only two things: a bottle of vin rouge and a bowl of its hedonistic French fries.

It’s not that the fine-diner doesn’t offer plenty of other temptations, from triple-cheese soufflé to smoked-trout rillettes to rum baba, but I was steeling myself for an emotional catch-up with a newly single friend. Anticipating a wrenching exchange, peppered with stories of break-up and betrayal, I sought liquid courage and salty sustenance.

Streak frites at Bistro Rex at Potts Point in Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

When the chips are down, there’s always French fries. Exquisitely crisp, reliably tasty, insanely moreish, fries are the apex of comfort food. Their origin story may be clouded in a mist of fragrant vegetable oil, with Belgian and French adversaries duking it out for intellectual ownership, yet the question of their universal appeal cannot be denied. Plus, they come in endless interpretations and tantalising incarnations. Wherever I travel, I keep my eyes on the fries.

Among my picks are the pommes frites of Brussels, served in a portable paper cone and dolloped with mayonnaise, and the thick-cut chips of Athens deftly stuffed into any worthy souvlaki. In Amsterdam, there are patatje oorlog, whose rousing name means “war chips”. At first I was conflicted by the jarring blend of onion, mayonnaise and satay sauce, toppings that seemed at war with each other, but paired with a local beer I was suitably pacified. In Cusco, presented with a polarising dish of grilled guinea pig, I focused on the perfect papas fritas instead.

Belgian frites with mayonnaise are some of the world's best hot chips.

]No matter where you wander, double-frying is the secret to estimable chips, ensuring a fluffy interior and crisp exterior. McDonald’s fries, widely considered the archetype even by snooty chefs, are the template for traditionally cut fries. Long, slender and delectably golden, they are a sensory slam dunk. Their irresistible combination of salt, sugar and fat – what food scientists refer to as the “bliss point” – means they are absurdly easy to scarf. As a frozen fry, they are unimpeachable.

Consider also shoestring fries, the runway models of fried food. Although they deliver crunch, they’re sadly absent of pillowy potato, and, if you ask me, not as satisfying for it. Steak fries, hefty planks ideal for plunging in condiments, are a little too clunky in my view, while with their zigzag shape, crinkle-cut fries are both graphic and nostalgic. To this day when I see them, I am transported back to my pre-teen years for post-school meals. And wedges, those chunky shapes often spiked with sweet chilli sauce, remind me of the late-night bar-hopping shenanigans of my university era.

Nacho fries from Guzman y Gomez are loaded with toppings.

In the potato-fixated US, I found a world of sizzling varieties that differed depending on where you ventured. From curly fries that resemble gold bands, often enlivened with cayenne pepper, to waffle fries that are cross-hatched slices of potato. Nuggety tater tots, made from grated potato, always made a reassuring side dish. Yet none of those improved on the original. And some versions, especially fries “loaded” under a blanket of, say, chilli-inflected cheese, I found to be an abomination.

In Australia, we excel at classic fish and chips, imported from the UK, admittedly, but refined locally with fresher produce and tastier batter. And whoever first added chicken salt to fries – sources point to 1970s chicken shop proprietors in South Australia – was a spice savant. Guzman y Gomez’s chipotle-seasoned fries are the latest trending flavour. At the same time, hot chips have become haute chips. The humble fry can be a vessel for culinary innovation. A high-end favourite is at Conte in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Its fries come with a heavenly mix of pecorino, oregano and rock salt.

Korea's tornado fries did not live up to expectations.

Naturally, in my relentless fry fanaticism, there have been misfires. In Seoul, that hotpot of gastronomic wizardry, I sampled tornado fries – spiralised potatoes cooked and presented on wooden skewers. But they were not the whirling dervishes of flavour I had expected. In Paris, pommes soufflées are airy, bougie variations on the theme. While I admired their puffy form, and the expertise required to prepare them, these mini soufflées hardly rose to the occasion. Montreal has poutine, a dish of robustly-cut potato crowned with meaty gravy and cheese curds. Considered a national treasure, poutine, a squeaky, soggy, slippery muddle, was a non from me.

Poutine reminds me why fries should be eaten in moderation. We all know that deep-fried fare comes with a bounty of calories, trans fats and associated health risks. On the other hand, the one holding a still-warm French fry, studies have suggested that an increase of salt in the body can reduce stress levels and boost oxytocin, the happy hormone.

Canada's famously decadent take on hot chips, poutine is decked out with gravy and cheese curd.

Is there a healthy fry? There are low-carb, air-fried, and baked styles, and also sweet potato fries, which might harbour more vitamin A but are really not any healthier. The same could be said for zucchini fries, a bland approximation.

At restaurants I find myself scanning to the end of a menu to see whether fries are listed. There’s a sigh of disappointment if not. The fast-food options are still plentiful at least.

Earlier this year, American restaurant chain Wendy’s debuted a branch on the Gold Coast. Reading the news, I wondered if the craze for dipping fries into one of its frosty vanilla or chocolate shakes will catch on here. “Once you try it, you’ll never go back to eating fries the regular way,” enthused BuzzFeed in a post on the provocative subject. “It’s a life-changing experience.” This time, I think I’ll refrain.

Originally published as I’ve travelled the world to find the best hot chips and French fries