#flavored fries

Mister Fried Potato first caught my eye with some soft serve pics. Sadly, they do not offer froyo. In fact, they didn’t even have soft serve ice cream (they said it might be back during the summer). Their shake fries are like the ones you’d get at Potato Corner but not as good. You can choose the type of fries (original, waffle cut, curly fries, tater tots, sweet potato) and flavor/seasoning (e.g., wasabi, BBQ, cajun, churro). They also sell tea, milk tea, slush, yogurt drinks, lemonade, cream soda, chicken wings, and other fried foods. Most of the food is frozen and fried to order.

MFP cod fish combo ($13.95): 3 pieces of crispy cod, your choice of shake fries, and a drink. I chose a milk tea with 25% sugar. The fried fish had a firm/harder batter but was moist inside. The batter was too hard. The sweet potato fries didn’t have enough seasoning (they should provide more of the flavor seasoning powder) and they were limp – not crispy at all. The milk tea was still very sweet even though I asked for 25% sweetness.

The décor was pretty minimal but they did have a cute wall featuring their fried potato mascot and a TV tuned to sports. It’s an okay place for fried snacks and drinks. I doubt their ice cream would be any good.

2 out of 5 stars

I have a feeling that many loyal Potato Corner fans are angry that Fry Yay took over their prime spot and adding insult to injury, copied PC’s concept. But there are differences between the two. Fry Yay has seasonings that PC doesn’t and it doesn’t charge extra for sweet potato fries like PC does. PC has a loyalty program and is more generous with seasonings. Both use frozen potatoes and powdered seasonings.

Fry Yay comes in three sizes (S $4.50, M $5.50, L $7). Choose your fries (French fries, tater tots, potato chips, curly fries, sweet potato fries), select your seasonings (up to 2), choose a sauce. Premium toppings include Flaming Hot Cheetos and nacho chese. They also have chicken fries and drinks.

* Sweet potato fries with Sriracha and Garlic Parmesan + Flaming Hot Cheetos): The sweet potato fries were waffle cut. A few were stuck together and limp but most were hot and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. They use less seasoning powder, so the fries aren’t as flavorful, but the sign did say if you want more seasonings, just ask. The crushed Cheetos fell off because you eat fries by picking them up. Maybe it would make sense to get Cheetos if you also got the nacho sauce.

I asked if they had a rewards program – they don’t. I asked if you could get more than one kind of fry per order, they said no.

Help yourself to napkins and ketchup.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Salt & Fries is right next to Somi Somi and they have the same owner. It looks like they share a space and I think they share employees? I believe this is the first and so far, the only Salt & Fries location. I like how the two shops offer sweet (soft serve ice cream, taiyaki) and savory options.

As for S & F, everyone’s going to compare it to Potato Corner, because Potato Corner seems to be the most popular mall snack at the malls that I go to. However, PC doesn’t have a location inside Glendale Galleria, though they have one across the street at the Americana. S & F has more options and different seasonings (including Asian ones) and sauces. The two flavored fries vendors are similar though. Even the prices are almost the same.

At S & F, choose your size (Medium, $4.45, Large $5.95), your cut (original crisp, twister, wafer, chips, crinkles, tater tots, house cut flat, sweet potato fries), and your seasoning (garlic parmesan, oriental hot chili, sour cream onion, wasabi, smoked bbq, cheddar cheese, honey butter, Japanese curry). Housemade dipping sauces are also available. You can ask for samples of the seasonings.

The fries are frozen and they’re fried to order. Then they’re tossed in your choice of seasoning.

* Regular tater tots with wasabi and oriental hot chili & a fountain drink ($5.75). To my surprise, I liked S & F tots better than Potato Corner’s. The tots themselves were pretty much the same – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, not greasy. S & F didn’t use as much powdered seasoning, so the tots seemed less powdery. I liked their seasonings better. The oriental hot chili had a nice level of heat and a little sweetness. The wasabi powder was pretty potent. Their seasonings seemed less salty than Potato Corner’s.

I didn’t see any tables but there were a few benches across from S & F. There was no mention of a frequent buyer program.

4 out of 5 stars