National French Fry Day: We Tried “The Best Fries in Lagos” at Poutine
Poutine
84 Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island | Instagram | 0916 069 0180
Whether straight-cut, curly, skin-on, crinkled, waffled or cheesed up, a side of good fries almost always elevates a meal. For that alone, it deserves as much recognition as possible, and this is why every year on July 13, French Fry lovers from all over the world commemorate National French Fry Day.
People typically celebrate the day by seizing the best deals from their favourite fast-food joints or being creative with homemade fries, but this year, we decided to pop by Poutine, a spot that claims to make the “best fries in Lagos” for the past couple of years.
Poutine gets its name from the famous Canadian-style fries, which are potato chips topped with cheese curds and gravy — so their whole schtick is that they play around with fries.
A friend and I popped over last Sunday and first off, were a bit confused because there was literally no sign of commercial activity from the outside. We later found that Poutine shares a space with a residential complex called Casablanca Lodgings; the restaurant itself is a small poolside tanker behind the complex.
There wasn’t much going on in terms of ambience, to be honest, which is a bit of a shame — no background music or particularly exciting décor — but I actually liked how serene it was. The space was sparsely occupied and the view of the water (ocean? lagoon?) definitely elevated the experience.
The chefs, who doubled as waiters, gave us a warm welcome and we were told we could stay in their indoor space upstairs or chill by the pool. We chose the indoor idea (thanks for that, rain) and our orders: A P-Squared Reunion combo for my guest and a Vybz Kartel combo for myself.
Poutine doesn’t have a drink menu so we had to get our drinks from the semi-functional bar downstairs. There were zero cocktail or mocktail offerings, so we had to settle for slightly overpriced soft drinks and Smirnoff Ice served in unclean red plastic cups with ice.
What in the razz house party is that?
The Vybz Kartel Combo
When I asked the bartender why they didn’t have a proper drink menu, he explained that they tend to have problems sourcing the proper ingredients for cocktails and mocktails, but common. Other restaurants in Lagos do it, so surely it’s not Mission Impossible or anything 👀
Thankfully, our meals got to us in time — 30 minutes after we placed our orders — so we could shift our focus from the poor drink situation. My Vybz Kartel was supposed to be an assortment of “24-hour marinated” jerk chicken, potato fries and spicy mayo served with ketchup. The fries were super crisp and well-salted; the barbecue sauce drizzle took the flavour to the top, so I wasn’t even mad that the spicy mayo was nowhere to be found; and as for the chicken strips, they were juicy and tender. The 24-hour marinated chicken is what slightly disappointed me because I was expecting more flavour. Perhaps it didn’t get that much time bathing in the spices, as promised.
My guest’s P-Squared Reunion had plantain fries, so I was really looking forward to trying Poutine’s take on that. On its own though, the plantain fries were a bit of a letdown. The plantain lacked natural sweetness, so I felt like they could have at least salted it. However, by the time I tried it with the barbecue sauce and pepper sauce, the sweet-spicy combo slapped and made up for the plantain’s lack of sweetness. Also, the jumbo shrimps that came with the meal were yum.
The P-Squared Reunion Combo
After leaving Poutine, I was almost sure that I’d go back in the near future. Their claim of having the best fries in Lagos wasn’t completely baseless, as they did a pretty good job; plus, it’s also a cool place to chill. BUT when the chef, whom I only gave my number to confirm receipt of my bank transfer, unprofessionally called and texted to beg me for money the following day, I was done with the place.
postscript
I’d still recommend this place, but maybe just don’t give the chef your number.
verdict
DAMAGE
Vybz Kartel Combo – N4000
P-Squared Reunion Combo – N6000
PARKING
Could probably take 10 cars or more
