Have you ever eaten a dish that tastes like a Katy Perry song? One such offering at a Manchester restaurant has been dividing customers who have tried the salt and pepper number - and it really does take you on a bit of a rollercoaster.
Hello Oriental have launched a new menu item which sees their delicious salt and pepper chips topped with soft serve ice cream, which has become something of a culinary craze since it was announced at the start of the week.
I headed to the venue’s basement bar, off Oxford Road, to see if the sweet and savoury dessert fries hit the spot.
Following the report in the Manchester Evening News, readers were quick to pick a side on the marmite-style order. Some were firmly in the ‘hate’ category, with Ican Lazarus commenting: “That’s one dish I think I might avoid,” while Owen Cummings added: “No no no no no no.”
Michelle McGivern said: “Fries first and then ice cream. Not together.”
Others were delighted at the mismatched dish, with Jane Anne Lord writing: “Chips and ice-cream are awesome me and my daughter used to eat it.” Stevethemanc1 added: “Try it? I would bathe in it.”
I made my way down the stairs into the neon-lit bar area on Wednesday afternoon. It was fairly quiet inside, so no queues to try out the new craze just yet - but let’s wait and see how the word spreads.
I very much enjoyed the ordering system at Hello Oriental - sit, scan, order, eat. There’s a QR code on the tables which brings up the menu where I ordered my salt and pepper fries with soft serve for £6.95, as well as a lemonade to wash it down with.
Service was speedy and before long, my ice cream topped chips were before me, with a whopping scoop of ice cream oozing over the side of the cardboard takeaway container.
I plucked a pair of chopsticks from the centre of the table to discover I’m better at using them than I’d initially given myself credit for - although, still not an expert - and got stuck in. I mentioned earlier about the Katy Perry song, right? The salt and pepper ice cream fries are an indecisive meal, hot and cold, yes then no, but you can’t help but keep going in and then out with your utensil of choice. I was up and down about how I felt about the dish that’s so wrong yet so right.
For some, the answer may be black and white - love it or hate it. Others, like me, may go on a chop-and-change journey to come to a final decision.
The hot chips were extremely salty, which was combatted by the sugary ice cream. Texturally, it was nice to get a crisp chip with the smooth ice cream - though those that had gone soggier at the bottom were less appealing.
Seasoned with onions and peppers, the fries had a bit of a kick to them, which was soothed by the cold ice cream offering welcome relief from the spice.
Mid-way through my tub was when I jumped off the fence and decided that, to my surprise, this was a delicacy I could totally get on board with. Why order a main and a dessert when you can combine them and save a few quid, too.
Co-founders of Hello Oriental, Ricky Yip and Azim Kourah, said even their team were unsure about the unusual menu addition. Rick said: “The team were pretty divided, to be honest, but when they actually tried it, the overall response from the staff was really positive.”
Those who glare at the menu in utter disgust at this dish should live by the motto: “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” because you might just be pleasantly surprised.
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