Are sweet potato fries really worth it?

The Union has launched a new menu and is now a proud server of sweet potato fries. The new dish is another addition to the Union’s growing vegetarian and vegan options in support of Go Green Week (yes, sweet potato fries are vegan, we asked).

A side of dem sweet potato fries will set you back £2.50, 70p more than student favourite curly fries and 20p more than curly fries WITH cheese. But is it worth it?

“They’re so good…”, says vegan Francesca Aras, “but they’re so expensive.” We sent in a felix reporter to evaluate the new menu addition. We selected Theresa Davey, who’s been at Imperial for almost a decade and knows what’s up. “I’m super basic, so obviously if sweet potato fries are an option, I have to have them. I haven’t even tried them yet, but I just know they’re going to be even better than the curly fries!”

Upon entering FiveSixEight and looking at the menu, Davey spots the sweet potato fries and the pricing. “They’re slightly more expensive than curly fries with cheese so I’d expect them to be better than the staple option” Davey says. “On the other hand the price doesn’t seem to be deterring anyone because everyone is ordering them.”

But let’s talk fries.

“They were hot and crispy which is pleasant. Sweet potato was well cooked throughout. Good consistent layer of batter on all fries. They definitely need salt though. They’re very bland.” Just like the sweet potato fries, this review should also be taken with a pinch of salt, as Davey is not a food critic and we’ve been informed that the sweet potato fries aren’t actually fried in batter. “They’re almost nicer when they’ve cooled down a bit and the batter has solidified into a separable layer.” To each their own.

What does the staff think of the new fries though? We talked to Sophie Johnston. “They’re pretty good, but pretty expensive” says Johnston. “I feel like we’re trying to be too fancy. We’re not h-bar, we’re not a gastro-pub.” Fact.

But what about logistical costs? Were there difficulties programming the sweet potato fries into the new tills? Have there been significant training costs to prepare staff for the onslaught of sweet potato fry orders? How are kitchen staff coping with trying to balance three types of fries?

Johnston tells us everything is fine and that the tills are being reprogrammed and fine tuned constantly anyway. She did point out the existence of the new pulled pork pizza though. “Apparently it’s not very nice. I watched someone eat it and they were not enjoying it.” Good to know.