Takeout stakeout: Lord of the Fries

Lord of the Fries. Photo / Imstagram@lordofthefries_nz

Lowdown

Lord of the Fries
1 Queen St, Auckland
Ph: 022 390 9662
Cost for two: $20.50

IN

It was Melbourne in 2004 and a couple - Mandy (from Toronto) and Mark (Melbourne) - loved fries but hated the ones available - soaked in beef tallow, containing gluten and cooked in cheap oil. That gave them the idea to start a food truck selling just fries - "thick but not too thick, crispy but not too crunchy, delicious and saucy" and soon the business and the menu expanded. There's everything you expect from a takeaway joint - burgers, onion rings, hot dogs but nowhere is there any meat. The Lord is vegetarian, kosher and halal; there are also vegan and gluten-free options. They do use cheese in some dishes.

The couple in line before me were surprised when they realised this was a vegetarian/vegan joint - an easy mistake to make - as the signage and many of the names of things makes this look like a regular fast food joint.

OUT

I ordered the New Guru burger, a traditional veg/chick-pea patty topped with fresh tomato, pickles, onion, lettuce with mayo and ketchup, and some classic fries and a chocolate shake - I asked for the shake to be light on the chocolate - no problem. Service was good, delivery quick. Burger was okay, the mayo adds some spice; but the shake - a Chocolate Bliss - made from almond milk and soy ice cream was great. The fries though were a bit of a let-down. Nothing wrong with them but nothing really special either and if you're calling yourself Lord of the Fries that's a problem.

The branch at the bottom of Queen St - opposite the Ferry building - consists of some outdoor tables and a couple of shipping containers.

I got mine to go and ate them across the road while watching the ferries pull in and out.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ethical fast food should taste a little more exciting than this. But try the shakes.