Forget McDonald’s, try French fries from these 5 places in Hong Kong

Bao Bei is a fancy basement restaurant in Central which resembles a tree house. Their Mapo tofu fries are a fusion between east and west, topped with tofu, minced pork, chilli paste and chilli oil.

The fries are skinny and piping hot with a great texture; crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside.

The fries work well with the creative sauce, but the dish was a little too salty. To enjoy this dish at it’s best, mix the sauce and the fries thoroughly before eating.

These fries cost HK$88, and for that kind of money, you could get exactly five and a half servings of large fries at McDonald's. We’ll leave the decision to you.

7/10

Shop B, 8-12 Wo On Lane, Central

As Hong Kong patiently waits for food trucks to grace the city, Boomshack took the initiative and parked one in their restaurant.

Of the many interesting items on the menu, the beetroot fries were a quirky standout. If this worked, it would be life-changing. But unfortunately, for HK$58, there were only a few pieces chopped beetroot. Nice idea, poorly executed.

The freshly fried beets had a hard shell and were served with mayonnaise – which is a surprisingly tasty combo. However, the flavour of the beets themselves was lacking a little and so they ended up mainly tasting of mayonnaise. The chunks were also too large, so the texture was beetroot and more beetroot.

For beetroot lovers this might sound like a dream come true, but for everyone else it’s probably a little too much.

6/10

G/F, 3 Swatow Street, Wan Chai

Bread & Beast’s Lennon fries have got to be the most interesting plate of fries on the list. For starters, they’re topped with bonito flakes that hint at seafood, and drizzled with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Cool, and ultra Japanese, but best of all, they’re topped with a soft-boiled egg.

The fries themselves are thin and fresh, and the combination of flavours is addictive. Once the yolk is broken, the sauce becomes a bit too runny, but the fries stay crispy on the inside and go gooey on the outside. A little messy, but an eggciting flavour combination.

It’s a tiny cafe tucked away in Wan Chai, but their food is not-to-be-missed. Lennon fries cost HK$38. Worth every dollar.

9/10

1/F Wo On Building, 8-13 Wo On Lane, Central

Had enough of salty fries? Head to Central and try the not-so-common sweet potato fries from Common Room. They are sweet, which makes a nice change, and are dressed simply with herbs and diced garlic. They aren’t as flavourful as some of the others on the list, but they’re still a nice snack.

However, Common Room’s fries win hands down when it comes to texture. Since they’re coated in batter, they are very light, airy and almost fluffy. The chipotle buttermilk aioli sauce is nothing special; it’s quite sweet and slightly tangy, but together the two make a decent combo.

The fries cost HK$78, but if you catch them while they’re on promotion (free tapas, weekdays from 5pm-7pm, and the fries count as one of the tapas options), it’s definitely a bargain. However, on their own, they’re not worth the money.

7.5/10

G/F, Hung Fai Building, 430 Dundas Street, Mong Kok

Hot.com is a busy street stall in Mong Kok selling almost 30 different versions of fries for only HK$33, the cheapest yet. Their fries with dumplings (siu mai), topped with cheese and honey mustard, came fresh in a froyo cup. It’s a good idea to think the combination thoroughly beforehand, because cheese and honey are strange ... but this delicacy didn’t disappoint.

The “siu mai and cheese” combo is weird, but siu mai and honey is delightful! A recommendation would be to choose two sauces instead of melted cheese, because the cheese is rather artificial. There isn’t much effort put into the presentation, but the variety and creativity of the toppings make up for it. The sauce is just the right consistency, and the fries are crisp.

7.5/10