Chipstar in Naples is the most famous french fries shop in Campania and perhaps even better. There is always a queue in the Vomero shop, but the bag of chips is worth the wait.
Arduous struggle of panzarottari that challenge zeppolari, fried war with wallet pizzas, taralli, grown pasta and pasta omelettes. And in this civil war of good Neapolitan food we are now fighting with the foreign ally: the packet of Dutch chips, the Chipstar.
Perhaps better to say, in Neapolitan land, the Cuoppo. Of course, maybe “cuoppo” isn't exactly the name they had in mind, ad Amsterdam, as they worked out this successful street business. Yet it is the only term that, I think, perfectly conveys the idea!
Among the streets of Amsterdam, for those who have been lucky enough to visit it and for those who will visit it one day, it is a succession of vlaams friteshius at vending machines, small shops of take away chips, tourists and non-tourists who stroll with a smoking cone in their hands and long queues at the most famous shops.
One of all is Vleminckx, perhaps the most historic among many, with a dozen basic sauces and as many very special Dutch sauces, and with a fixed queue at lunchtime. Combining the cross-border idea of ​​simple street food suitable for all tastes with the tradition of fried southern lowcost, the Chipstar phenomenon is born.
The first store opened by the company, consisting of young Neapolitans, was opened a year ago in the Vomero area, in Naples (via Scarlatti). From this success they were born then 7 other points of sale in Naples, two in Rome, one in Milan, Salerno, Benevento, Caserta, Avellino, Ancona, Bari. One wonders why it is so successful. Well, it seems obvious to me. The semplicity.
A cuoppo, a small street cup made of blotting paper, high quality hot fries, intriguing sauces. Stop. The place is also simple: a patatineria, if it can be defined as such, of a few square meters with only many (many) fresh potatoes in plain sight, a washing tank, potato cutters and deep fryers. Potatoes are great and the secret is their quality: Bintje potatoes, yellow flesh, imported directly from Holland.
The cuoppi of your choice are of different sizes: from small to kingsize. The price goes from 2 € chips for 2,50 euros for the smallest portion of traditional potato chips up to 5 euros for the giant of almost 1 kg of chips!
But be careful not to think of the usual fast food fries, too thin and too soft. These are not cut into matchstick but at “pont neuf” (they are therefore much thicker) and are cooked with a triple frying at different temperatures. Result: large sticks, crunchy on the outside and with a flavorful interior.
At the cash desk you choose the size and, once you have queued (usually at the very long Vomero), when your turn comes you will always find chips cut and fried at the moment before our eyes. All you have to do is choose how to season this foil. Here, this instead is not easy given that the sauces on display they are 16!
Of course some are perhaps banal, such as mayonnaise or tomato ketchup, but to be original you can focus on tartar sauce (with parsley and other spices), or on the spicy of Hot Shot or on the eastern Moroccan or Algerian. The Frite Sauce and the Pitta, for me, the best ones, allow you to fully savor the taste of potatoes, giving only a very pleasant and light aroma.
The result is just as simple and effective: stroll through the streets of your own city in Sex and the city style, replacing the now obsolete glass of coffee with a nice cup of crispy, salty and perfectly seasoned fries… definitely a good experience.
