Some people are born to greatness, while others have greatness thrust upon them. And then there are those who find greatness via an instagram profile and an insatiable appetite for hot chips.
The aptly named Hot Chip Guy has emerged from the shadows of digital ephemera as Australia’s self-appointed arbiter of hot chip excellence. Via his four-point appraisal process – with scores out of ten totted up for price, percentage of crispiness versus sogginess, value for money and that all-important saltiness – he has launched a one-man crusade to chow down and judge every purveyor of hot chips in Sydney.
His quest is still in its relative infancy, with just 17 hot chip samples appraised to date, sourced from venues all over town, including small mum-and-pop joints and fast food juggernauts like KFC and Nandos. He’s even cast his discerning eye at the oven-cooked varieties from the supermarket freezer aisle.
And the verdict so far? Sydney’s best hot chips, with an impressive clean-sweep score of 10/10, come from Clem’s Fried Chicken on King Street in Newtown. At just $6 for a medium serve, they take the crown because “these chippies are always coming out fresh with heaps of salt”. On behalf of the hot chip lovers of Sydney (and let’s be real, that’s anyone with a pulse), we salute you, Hot Chip Guy.