Black Sheep Restaurants’ steak frites joint offers only one item on the menu – l’entrecote steak and crisp fries. The golden shoestrings are deep-fried until golden brown and seasoned with the lightest sprinkle of salt. The greatest thing about these fries, aside from the crunchy texture, is that the tealight underneath the metal tray helps keep the potatoes warm before your next refill. Tomato ketchup is always a good accompaniment, although the special steak sauce is just as great for the potato.

La Vache, G/F, 48 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2880 0248

Hearing that your side of potato at Grand Hyatt Steakhouse comes “thrice-cooked” is exciting enough, but hearing that it is cooked in duck fat just makes is that much more of a treat. Cut into thick batons and skin-on, these potato fries are generously showered with cheese, truffle shavings and herbs. We love them as they are, as the lightly gamey duck grease is a great accompaniment to the starchy thick fries.

Grand Hyatt Steakhouse, Lobby Level, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2584 7722

May Chow’s truffle fries are more than just potatoes with truffle on top. The quintessential Asian twist from her Little Bao brand ensures a multitude of textures and vibrant flavours weaving through the crispy fried potatoes, enriching the sharing dish with braised shiitake tempeh whose flavours resembles that of an Asian ragu, followed by truffle mayonnaise and extra-crunchy sweet pickled daikon. The pickle helps cut through the grease, and it also cleanses your palate before you take another handful of the crisp fries.

Little Bao Diner, Shop H1, G/F, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 2555 0600

Tai Hang’s Second Draft is home to some of the best deep-fried small plates that pair well with ice-cold draft beers from Young Masters. One should never miss the Tai Hang Fries, one of a handful of vegetarian options at the restaurant. The deep-fried potatoes are deep-fried and tossed in ground cumin and dried chillies, followed by takana, or Japanese-style pickled mustard greens. The chopped chiffonade of pickled mustard greens are a particularly great contrast from the heat of dried chillies, and the alchemy is best quenched by Second’s Draft signature beers.

Second Draft; G/F, 98 Tung Lo Wan Road, Tai Hang, Hong Kong; +852 2656 0232

Chinese-inspired eatery Lee Lo Mei takes on a humorous approach to Cantonese classics with a modern interpretation, from filled miniature pineapple buns to chicken skewers. The Cantonese restaurant’s playful twist on French fries turns potatoes into crinkled fries, deep fried until golden brown and lathered with a molten cheese sauce and topped with a generous helping of salted egg yolk crumbs. You may not need ketchup for these tasty fries, but you may want to mop up the last of the rich cheese sauce with the last fry.

Lee Lo Mei, G/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2896 7688

Maximal Concepts’ Double D Burger brand is returning to Stockton for good, enriching the speakeasy bar’s food menu with plenty of meaty burgers, fries and shakes. While the ordinary French fries are crispy and golden, it is the restaurant’s fully loaded fries that win hearts. The crispy potatoes are topped with a generous helping of toppings – everything you will find on nachos sans the guac, from melted cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapeno peppers, onions, scallions, and bacon bits. We recommend sharing this fully loaded fries among two to three people, or a very carb-hungry adult.

Stockton, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2565 8668

Wan Chai’s Bread & Beast may be serving some of the better gourmet sandwiches in town, but never overlook the power of its signature potato side dish. The Lennon fries enhance our fascination for deep fried carbs with flavours from takoyaki, the quintessential Japanese street food. Bread & Beast’s Lennon fries top potato fries with sweet Okonomiyaki sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, together with flakes of bonito and seaweed and a 63-degree slow-cooked egg. The best way to enjoy it is to break the molten yolk, allowing it to ooze down to dress the fries, mixing the savoury custard with the sweet sauce.

Bread & Beast, G/F, 3 Swatow Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2237 1868

Operated by Josh and Caleb Ng, most notably known as Twins Kitchen, Interval Coffee Bar's avocado toast and udon carbonara are popular lunch specials we never say no to. One should never look its small dish selections at night too, among that comes mala herbed fries, a Sichuan twist applied on the traditional French Fries. The potatoes are beautifully crisp and coated with a spicy seasoning mix that balances the numbing sensation from Sichuan peppercorns and heat from chillies. They may look simple but they will have you enjoying fry after fry. 

Interval Coffee Bar, UG/F, The Loop, 33 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2570 7568

While French fries are most celebrated and enjoyed for their crisp texture, Central’s Shady Acres has a humble upgrade. The popular wine bar proudly presented its poutine, a Canadian classic where fries meet gravy and cheese. The kitchen team reduces a beef broth into gravy, dressing the made-to-order fries and topping them with cheese curds, which are near impossible to find in Hong Kong. While the poutine is a regular feature on Shady Acres’ a la carte menu, it is better to call to check on its availability especially on a weekend.

Shady Acres, G/F, 46 Peel Street, Central; http://www.theshadyacres.com

A French fine-dining restaurant may be the last place you would order French fries, but L’Envol at St. Regis Hong Kong has just the right alternative. Served alongside a beef dish as a side, the pommes soufflees is a traditional potato dish prepared with the Agria potato. Conventionally prepared in tiny rectangular shapes, Olivier Elzer’s French restaurant playfully carved the potatoes into little hearts, deep-frying them twice to become puffy hearts. The deep-fried potato pillows are seasoned with a house mix of chilli and salt, and are available all year round.

L'Envol, 3/F St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2138 6818

Hotdogs may be the main food attraction at PDT Hong Kong, but the New York-import bar at the Landmark Mandarin offers a mean handful of potato side dishes, including the takoyaki tots inspired by the octopus-stuffed globe-shaped savoury pancake made and served in the streets of Japan. The takoyaki sauce is a great match for the golden brown deep-fried potato bits, with its shredded seaweed and kewpie mayonnaise.

PDT Hong Kong, Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2132 2110