No longer are fries served as a sidekick to your burger or sandwich. Of late, this comfort food has undergone a makeover, and in its new avatar, finds a place of its own on restaurant menus — sometimes with an entire dedicated section running into pages.
“Fries are one of the most loved and relished comfort foods. Be it an accompaniment to other dishes or something to just munch on with drinks, fries are an all-time favourite. We wanted to expand the offerings by bringing an innovative touch to the classic fries,” says Sanju Arora, General Manager, The Irish House. He adds, “Initially, we just had the classic salted fries, which were extremely popular. Over the years, we introduced more options like garlic fries, sweet potato fries and then, a dedicated section of fries with toppings like Mac n cheese, chicken Bolognese, fried eggs, amongst others.”
Sahil Sabhlok, executive chef, Westin Pune Koregaon Park, opines, “With the advent of ‘progressive’ or ‘avant-garde’ cuisines, cafés and bars have also upped the ante. Potato, that too fried, is an all-time favourite to munch on and soaks up the alcohol well too. To add to it, it is hassle-free and cheap.”
Another reason is exposure to newer cuisines, says Sabhlok, “A few years ago, the dish poutine was unheard of in our menus, but now it is a part of bar menus across the country.”
Creative spree
The array of fries that restaurants today offer is endless — spicy, fiery, dry, loaded with sauces or gravies. Chili’s across India offers Texas cheese fries, which are home-cooked style fries, coated with Texas chilli, melted cheese and jalapeños. The crispy seasoned skin on the fries, tossed in truffle oil and served with truffle aioli sauce, smeared with garlic and freshly sourced herbs, is equally sought after.
Hard Rock Café has hot chilli fries, which are Cajun-spiced and crisp, topped with cheese sauce, sweet chilli drizzle and tangy masala. At The Bombay Fries, the XXXL Fries are served in a pizza box with jalapeños, olives, nachos and sauces. They also offer a Jain option.
Right on top
Chef Sabhlok points out the sheer scope for experimentation. “Chefs can choose to serve waffle fries, curly fries, steak fries, wedges, crinkle cut and potato tornado. The next step is to offer a variety of toppings. While the most popular toppings remain cheese and spice mix, many chefs are offering innovative toppings and dips like wasabi mayo, Indian spices, caramelised onions, sriracha mayo, sour cream and onion, chimichurri ... The options are endless.”
Most cities in India, including Tier 2 towns, are now jumping on to the innovative fries bandwagon. While Tall Blonde French in Bengaluru serves Bollywood fries and peri peri fries that perk up your taste buds, The J in Nashik has two pages on their menu dedicated to fries. Popular ones include cheese mayo fries and Thai sweet chilli fries.
The Independence Brewing Company in Pune, on the other hand, is known for its hand-cut, double-fried, crispy home fries.
Such is the popularity of fries that Sanket Agarwal, Founder, The Bombay Fries, decided to set up a chain of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) serving only fries. With outlets in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, The Bombay Fries is wowing the palate of the younger crowd. “During my visits to USA, I saw these and was curious about how someone can just sell a side product and be so successful.”
F for Fries in Byculla, Mumbai, again is a small QSR, offering fries of all shapes and types. Their signature, dessert fries white plus dark — topped with chocolate — is a huge hit.
Non-vegetarian toppings range from shredded chicken to bacon and ham. Butter chicken fries and double-decker chicken fries are among the top sellers at Tall Blonde French.
Sausage fries with smoked sausages at The J, Nashik are extremely popular, as are caramelised onion and grilled sausage fries and bacon and cheese fries at Chennai’s Double Roti. The pulled pork, bacon and cheese-loaded fries at Kolkata’s Macazzo sell at a whopping ₹330 per portion, with many takers.
Basic shift
If the common potato isn’t your thing, an alternative is sweet potato, a typical choice for fries popularised by Chef Paul Kinny at 212 All Day Café & Bar.
Chef Sabhlok uses various root vegetables, and vegetables like sweet potato, yam, purple yam, beet, carrot, rutabaga, colocasia. At Indigo Deli, the sweet potato fries are served with thecha mayonnaise, giving them a local Maharashtrian twist.
The Bombay Fries uses a variety of bananas, to create their own special healthy fries, whereas Gateway Taproom does buckwheat fries. So whether you’re a health nut or just looking to gorge, indulging in fries just got way more fun.
