Fast Food Watch: Tired of the Same Old Fries? Try a Canadian Take on NYC-Style Taters at Topwin

Most people don’t get too excited about French fries. After all, these salty, fried, sticks of potato have now long since been spread all over the world several times over, thanks to McDonald’s and every other fast food chain. However, a new restaurant to Beijing, New York Fries, recently opened in Sanlitun's Topwin Center, aiming to change customers’ weary impression of this ubiquitous staple.

Although it's named New York Fries, this chain restaurant was actually founded by two Canadian brothers in 1984. The restaurant specializes in the sale of premium quality, fresh-cut fries. Without any heat lamps doing the hard work of keeping things moving, every cup of fries is made right in front of you to ensure the best taste. They also offer various hot dogs and baked potatoes so as to break the monotony of deep-fried spuds.

We opted for the NYF Meal, which is made up of a chili cheese dog, a serving of “The Works” fries, and a soda (RMB 54). I also ordered a double cheese baked potato (RMB 26), because why the hell not.

The Works fries are topped with sour cream, cheese sauce, green onions, and bacon, which couldn't help bring to mind the flavors and textures found in a jianbing, rendering a very western food item surprisingly appealing to Chinese customers, something that I'm sure hasn't been lost on the company. The fragrance of the green onion and bacon balanced out nicely with the sweet and sour taste of the fried. I suggest you take along a friend to tackle these as the cup is too big and greasy to finish off by yourself.

The baked potato is made American style and comes topped with a mixture of cheese and whatever sauces you decide to douse it in.

Since the Topwin Center opened just recently, New York Fries is still pretty quiet but we expect we'll see the lunchtime crowd grow as time goes on, especially once people realize you can get discounts on the food if you pay through the dianping.com app.

New York Fries
Daily 10am-10pm. Topwin Center B1-9, 1 South Sanlitun, Chaoyang District (8220 7905)
三里屯通盈中心店 北京市朝阳区南三里屯路甲一号通盈中心B1-9

Photos: Zhounan Yang