The beloved snack is getting the restaurant treatment
Is there another foodstuff so basic yet so universally beloved as the crisp? We consume around 6 billion packets of these fried potato discs (other shapes are available) a year in the UK. We are the nation of the crisp sandwich. Whether they come as part of a meal deal, as a jumbo-size sharing bag scoffed solo to soothe a hangover, or as posh little nibbles in posh little bowls, we just can’t get enough.
Of course, London’s bars and restaurants have cottoned on to our crisp-loving habits, pairing the salty snack with drinks – see Hector’s and its plate of crisps and Serrano ham. We even went through a wave of boujee crisp and dip pairings, like Torres with salmon tartare, totopos with caviar and Bonilla a la Vista with whipped cod’s roe, a few years back. But now the capital’s kitchens are going a step further, shunning the packets for housemade crisps – those Torres are expensive and the Real Housewives of Clapton meme-ification has been strong – meaning we have a whole new selection of flavours to enjoy. Put down the Walkers and get your hands on these…
July
A yuzu sidecar might not scream Alsatian but currywurst-flavoured crisps sure do – it’s the only way to start a meal at this new Fitzrovia spot.
Carousel
Tomato sauce on chips? Practically mandatory. Tomato sauce on crisps? Not a thing…..until now that is. Yes, Carousel is testing the limits of sauce acceptability with these herb powder crisps finished with a lacto-fermented datterini tomato sauce.
OMA
With dip options including babaganoush, salt cod xo labneh, hummus with green zhoug and avjar with mizithra and hazelnuts, it would be incredibly foolish not to order the chilli, oregano, paprika and salt-dusted crisps at hot new Greek restaurant OMA.
Toklas
Why do chips and dip when you can do chips and mussel escabeche? Toklas is taking the crisp paring game up a notch by serving housemade salt & oregano crisps with marinated Wright Bros mussels.
Light Bar
It’s a two-for-one snacking special at Shoreditch’s Light Bar, where prawn crackers are served with whipped cod’s roe and an ingenious sprinkle of wasabi peas.
Yasmin
He’s doing modern British at Nessa and Italian at Mortimer House Kitchen, and now Tom Cenci is showcasing Middle Eastern flavours – including housemade za’atar crisps – at rooftop spot Yasmin.
Bottles
This Italian wine bar knows that you just beat a good crisp as a drinking snack. Order up a few bowls of these homemade black garlic and rosemary salt crisps as you work your way through the extensive bottle list.