Chip shops are part of the fabric of the United Kingdom. From coal-fired fryers seeing us through the Blitz to upscale versions of the classic Friday night tea elevated to Michelin standards.
But anyone who’s spent the weekend – lost or otherwise – in Amsterdam will inevitably return with a new found admiration for the way the Dutch handle a potato.
You can pick up a cone or tray of hot, crispy, salty fries all over that beautiful city, and while we in the north might douse our chippy-chips with gravy, they’re more likely to be slathered with mayonnaise on the continent, or the Dutch, curry-tinged ‘joppie sauce’.
Now you won’t have to worry about Ryanair disputing the size of your hand luggage, as you’ll be able to pick up a tray of authentic Dutch fries on Deansgate from FRITE, courtesy of the crew behind Indian favourite, the Zouk Tea Bar & Grill.
“We’ve visited Amsterdam quite often, and over the course of the past few years we’ve been having these Dutch fries,” says Zouk creative director Mudassar Amjad. “And we loved them.
“We thought ‘why is no one doing this in the UK?’ Growing up, my father owned a fish and chip shop in Leeds, and I used to work in it, so it’s in the family too.”
So they sourced just the right potato for the job and they got to frying – a double-fry situation, one at low temperature and a second quicker fry at high temperatures to get the right colour and crisp.
“We said that we wouldn’t do it without having the right potato,” Mudassar goes on. “And we ended up finding just the right potato from a farm in Knutsford, called the Sagitta. They’re grown there and chipped for us there too.”
Now with a bright yellow shipping container, Frite is about to open on Deansgate, just by the boujie likes of Sexy Fish and Australasia.
You can go upscale if you like – US-style, topped with Philly cheesesteak, Japanese style with katsu chicken, Chinese style with salt & pepper seasoning, or Indian, with soft butter chicken.
For anyone wanting to go a little healthier, the Mexican is sweet potato fries topped with smashed avocado and chimichurri.
Alternatively, you can go au naturel, and explore a vast array of condiments – truffle mayo, hot honey, buffalo, sriracha, tikka sauce, ranch, mayo or a classic Joppie sauce.
“The butter chicken is probably our number one favourite,” Mudassar says. “It’s probably the most popular dish we do [at Zouk]. We’ve tweaked it a little bit, so the sauce is a little thicker so the fries don’t get too soggy. It’s amazing.”
Frite is open now on Deansgate, 11am-9pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am-3am Friday and Saturday.
Manchester’s Finest subscribers get a day of free Frites (any portion from the menu) on Sunday 3 November, followed by a week of 50% off until Sunday 10 November.
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