Finding the best chips in Canberra

Oporto is an Australian-made, Portuguese Style, chicken-focused fast food chain restaurant. I visited the one in Dickson that opened earlier this year. It prides itself on the quality of its product despite the cheap price.

As soon as you enter an Oporto, you know exactly where you are. The striking patterns on the walls and the soft lighting set it apart from other fast-food locations. It is clear that this particular Oporto puts special effort into the space. In an intimate, welcoming room, you are immediately transported to dinner in a close friend's apartment. The plants hanging from shelves are a lovely touch.

Environment Score: 9/10

I waited 6 minutes for small chips. Very reasonable. Factors to consider are: the restaurant was empty and I had made it clear that I was writing about their chips.

Wait Time Score: 7/10

I paid $5 for my small chips.

Value for Money Score: 6/10

My chips came in a shallow cup, which was overflowing. I ate in-house, but if I had wanted to have my chips to go, it would not have been easy to keep them all secure.

Presentation Score: 4/10

The best chips of the bunch were fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Perfect. Mixed in were a couple of duds, some were a little bit stringy. But you get the odd bad chip in every batch.

Texture Score: 7/10

Oporto flavours its chips with vegetable powder and assorted spices. This allows the chips to be interesting enough to stand alone. They have a distinct tangy flavour. Unfortunately, they went a little heavy-handed on the salt on this particular occasion.

Taste Score: 7/10

The worker in Dickson Domino's was surprised when I ordered small chips. I'm not sure she knew they were on the menu. 99 out of 100 customers would opt for a more classic pizza side like garlic bread. I seemed to catch them off guard.

The inside of a Domino's is not nice. But it doesn’t pretend to be, it also doesn't need to be. It's built for efficiency, people are not meant to sit down in there. There is a screen that tells you when your order will be ready. Five plus landline phones are ringing constantly. There is one table and an empty frame in the waiting area. This was a factory-level environment.

Environment Score: 2/10

With the wait times displayed on the aforementioned screen, I was ready to score this category then and there. But then five minutes had gone by, and then 10 minutes. I think they might have thrown out my chips, probably because they weren't up to standard. I waited for 12 minutes.

Wait Time Score: 2/10

$5 is, reasonable, however, they could have filled the box a bit more.

Value for Money Score: 6/10

My chips came in a transport-friendly lidded container. A couple of the chips seem to have been torn in half, this is unacceptable and ruins the aesthetic appeal. However bonus point for the lid.

Presentation Score: 3/10

When you are biting into a chip, the last thing you want to be reminded of is a raw potato. Unfortunately, it was clear that these chips came straight from the freezer and spent insufficient time in a not-very-good oven. They were soggy on the outside and crunchy on the inside. Offensive.

Texture Score: 1/10

The tangy seasoning they used was not terrible, but they used it sparingly. Only a few of the chips were properly covered. Most of the chips were bland and tasteless.

Taste Score: 3/10

In the world of fast food, there is none more iconic as Maccas, Mickey D's, or the golden arches as it's often better known by. It is a 191 billion dollar company. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it. It is probably the favourite go-to for students.

I visited the McDonald's in the city near the bus depot. The one where they play classical music out the front to discourage teenagers from loitering. It takes up an entire corner of the block, its large windows let in a good amount of natural light and it has plenty of dining area. Although, the tables don’t seem to cleared very often. When I was eating I was surrounded by empty chip boxes and old straws. The dining area had a black and green colour scheme that didn’t really match the rest of the restaurant and the wallpaper was peeling off the wall.

Environment Score: 5/10

You don't make 191 billion dollars from people waiting around for 10 minutes. It seemed like as soon as my order went through, my chips were ready. I didn’t even have time to look at my phone. Realistically it was about 20 seconds.

Wait Time Score: 10/10

My small chips were $2.85.

Value for Money Score: 8/10

The small chips come in a little paper pouch. But if you were to get medium or large chips, they would come in a compact, closable, cardboard container. McDonald's chips are known for their unique shape. Long and thinly cut in a wood chipper-like machine.

Presentation Score: 6/10

Because these chips are particularly thin, they manage to avoid any issues with texture. There is less distinction between inside and outside. But McDonald's doesn’t follow the standard chip model, it tries something different. Less crunch, but you aren’t meant to eat one at a time. To get the finest experience you need to utilise a three-finger grab and have several in one bite.

Texture Score: 6/10

McDonald's adds what they call a "natural beef flavour" during the frying process. This is what provides the iconic meaty taste. But the headliners of how they make the chips are salt, sugar and fat. This trio of ingredients is known as the 'bliss point'. Over many years, my taste buds have been manipulated into loving these chips.

Taste Score: 9/10

Hungry Jack's is Australia's answer to America's Burger King. But they want to set themselves apart. Coming off a lengthy legal battle with their monarchic burger counterpart, they are the bad boys of the fast food industry.

This Belconnen location that I went to was built like a church. It stood alone on the street, it had a high roof and a large sign encouraging cars into the drive-through. There were more than enough seating options. Booths, tables, high tables, it was a bit cluttered. They should have left the leftover chairs and tables in the back. On the other hand, they put some outside, which I appreciated. Windows where on every side, so as I ate my chips I enjoyed lovely panoramic views.

Environment Score: 7/10

I waited 3 minutes. Cars were coming through the drive-through and they are the priority.

Wait Time Score: 7/10

$2.60. The cheapest chips I bought. Also clearly had the least amount in the bag.

Value for Money Score: 8/10

As I said, there was a noticeable lack of chips. Perhaps it was because the worker didn't like me, though I'm quite certain I said "please" and "thank you". The ones that were there came in a small paper pouch. Insufficient mobility. The chips themselves were a nice colour and a good size.

Presentation Score: 4/10

These chips were a great combination of crunchy and soft. If you were to bite through to see the cross-section, you would be able to see the divide between the skin and the middle.

Texture Score: 8/10

If I had let's say, ten chips in there, I had enough salt for fifteen. The ratio was just slightly off, but when you only have a few chips, you notice. Hungry Jack's doesn't attempt anything crazy with their flavouring. But when it works, it works well.

Taste Score: 5/10