Moo Frites (Instagram: @moofrites, Facebook: Moo Frites) makes hella good fries. Their fries are actually the best I've ever had so far in Toronto. It's a bold statement but I'm sticking with it!
Nestled in Kensington Market on 178 Baldwin St., Moo Frites is a small fry shop that serves up thick-cut, Belgian-style fries, accompanied by a variety of different house-made dipping sauces (there are 18 sauces to be exact).
Owner Ambrose Lee fell in love with Belgian frites during his backpacking trip through Europe several years ago. When Ambrose came back home, he made it his mission to perfect the Belgian frites and introduce it to Torontonians. After extensive research and numerous tests, Moo Frites was born in November 2014.
I dropped by Moo Frites after work several weeks ago. It was my second time there and I knew going in that I wanted 1) Their regular Belgian frites, 2) Several different kinds of dipping sauces, and 3) One of their specialty fries (more details on my first visit at Moo Frites here).
So, first things first, Moo Frites' 18 dipping sauces:
So, first things first, Moo Frites' 18 dipping sauces:
FRITE SAUCE - Belgian/Dutch mayo, the classic
JOPPEE - Curry mayo, Dutch specialty
ANDALOUSE - Tomato & chili pepper based, Belgian specialty
SAMURAI - Belgian warrior armed with spicy Tunisian chili
GARLIC MAYO - Everyone's favourite, bad breath enhancer
CHIPOTLE MAYO - Spicy & smokey blended with smoke dried jalapeno
GEM SAUCE - Utah's favourite fry sauce
NOSY WASABI - Japanese horseradish mayonnaise
PARMESAN PEPPERCORN - Creamy mayo fighting for the spotlight
LEMON DILL - Imagine dill-pickle chips
SPICY SRIRACHA - It's pronounced "see-rah-cha"
SPICY TARTAR - Tartar sauce on fire
SPICY KETCHUP - Ketchup with a kick
CURRY KETCHUP - Sweet & sour ketchup, Dutch specialty
CHIPOTLE KETCHUP - Spicy & smokey ketchup
GINGER KETCHUP - For the ginger-crazed
PEANUT SAUCE - Indonesian peanut satay, Dutch specialty
GRAVY - Poutine gravy, eh!
With so many options, I was a bit overwhelmed. Thankfully, Ambrose helped me pick a few sauces, all of which are traditional sauces for frites in Belgium/Netherlands:
Fries at Moo Frites are served in a traditional Belgium-style paper cone (notice the cutout in the table that perfectly holds the paper cone!). I got their regular fries ($4.25) with extra dipping sauces.
So, why are Moo Frites fries so good? Here are my reasons. First of all, the frites are fried to order so they are served piping hot. They are also fried perfectly; you won't find any underdone, burnt, limp or soggy fry. Each individual fry is golden in colour, sturdy and holds its own. Secondly, salt is evenly distributed so that no fry is over- or under-salted. Next, you can actually taste the potato in these chunky fries. A lot of fries out there lack that true potato taste; at times, I feel like I'm eating crispy and starchy things that look like fries but really all I'm tasting is their seasoning/salt. There's absolutely no potato taste. However, at Moo Frites, you can really taste the potatoes. Last, but not least, when you take a bite, you'll notice that the frites have a distinct, crisp outer shell that encases the light, fluffy and fleshy potato on the inside. In my opinion, Moo Frites' fries are the perfect fries.
In case you guys are interested, here is how Ambrose makes his fries at Moo Frites. There are a total of five steps:
1) Potatoes are cut into thick strips;
2) The potatoes are then blanched;
3) After blanching they are frozen overnight;
4) Fries are double-fried in canola oil to order; and
5) Fries are salted before serving.
With all the work that goes into these fries, it would be wrong to say that they are "just fries". Moo Frites fries are exceptional and deserve all the spotlight they can get.
As for the house-made dipping sauces, they are all great in their own way so it really depends on personal preference. For me, I generally prefer mayo-based sauces with thick-cut fries since I find the higher viscosity sauces, such as the Frite Sauce, coat the stubby fries way better than the thinner sauces, such as the Peanut Sauce or ketchup-based sauces. My favourite sauce out of the six were the Joppie, a very addictive curry mayo, and the Frite Sauce, a classic frites sauce. My least favourite was the Peanut Sauce, which I didn't think complimented the fries as well as the other sauces.
I also tried Moo Frites' Kimchi Fries. Not that I've had many kimchi fries in my life but this one at Moo Frites was, again, the best Kimchi Fries I've ever had. The fries were obviously superb, but the spicy and garlic mayo mix was spot-on when it comes flavour; it was creamy with a bit of a kick. The kimchi, although not house-made, had a crunchy texture and not at all soggy. It carried a sweet, spicy and tangy zing.
KIMCHI FRIES ($6.45)
Kimchi, spicy & garlic mayo, scallions
If you haven't been to Moo Frites yet you really should go. And if you've been there, let me know what you think - I'm curious to know where you enjoyed it as much I did. Next time I'm there I'll be giving their other dipping sauces a try, as well as their sweet potato fries and their popular Japo Frites.
*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*
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