A popular Hull lunchtime spot has been dishing up huge bowls of fries covered in all kinds of meaty and veggie toppings since October.
Midweek I’m normally a penny-pinching packed lunch kind of person, but Loaded by Grubb proved too tempting to ignore. The takeaway in Hull’s Paragon Street brings a new offering to Hull’s street food scene in the form of speciality loaded fries.
That is, not just a pack of instant curry on some soggy chips, but truly tasty-looking concoctions such as meatball marinara, smoky beef chilli, slow-pulled pork, crispy Korean BBQ chicken, Mac n Cheese, and vegan katsu.
Photographs on its Instagram are guaranteed to make you salivate. It is best not to scroll when you are hungry, which was our first mistake.
Fortunately, there was just a brief wait for the food despite there being orders ahead of us. Being hungry turned out to be a good thing, because the portions were absolutely huge and could probably serve two.
(Image: Hull Live)
The Korean chicken was utterly delicious and the meat was the perfect texture. The dish was well seasoned (Chip Spice optional) and the sauce had incredible depth of flavour, making for an entirely satisfying experience. It was garnished with sesame seeds which was a nice touch.
I did not expect a lot from the vegan katsu, but it was beautiful. The sauce was just as good as one made from scratch at home, and it was topped with deep-fried onions which had a moreish caramelised flavour.
The vegan cheese was a pleasant surprise – I find the melting types can have an unpleasant texture reminiscent of PVA glue but this one stayed firm and didn’t have a chemical aftertaste.
In fact, it was a nice addition to the meal. The mayonnaise was also decent and I liked the addition of fresh herbs.
But the wonderful sauces would be nothing without the fries underneath and, fortunately, they were some of the best quality fries I have had. With a golden, crispy skin, you could taste the freshness of the oil with every bite.
Overall, I still prefer rice to fries, but I would definitely return for a special lunchtime treat.