The 100 percent vegan fast food chain, Lord of the Fries, has become an institution for vegans and vegetarians in Adelaide since its inception in 2017, following in the footsteps of their sister stores in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Adelaide’s two eateries located in the CBD and Glenelg even have meat-eaters hooked and fooled with their meat-like menu options – from chick’n nuggets to phish burgers and hotdogs…and a range of fries of course!

Recently, Lord of the Fries declared the return of two of their famed burgers, The Lot and the Biggie Burger, as well as a new addition to the snack menu…Mac & Cheese Balls! We went to check out the old and the new ethical fast foods on offer – here’s the verdict!

The Lot Burger

This is one loaded burger! Essentially it’s a full meal, and you won’t be left hangry after you’re finished with The Lot…if you can finish it! It’s jam packed with; a vegan beef patty, a slice of melty vegan cheese, a vegan egg, tomato, lettuce, pineapple, beetroot, pickles and onion, paired with a smooth smothering of tomato sauce. Now you see why it’s called The Lot?

Let’s start with the vegan patty, cheese and egg – put it this way, you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s vegan unless someone told you. The patty, which we are assuming is made mainly from soy and wheat, is seasoned to perfection and the texture of ground beef is so spot on that you meat-eater friends would be saying ‘wow’. The only noticeable difference I would say between this patty and a non-vegan patty is that the vegan patty isn’t greasy and doesn’t ooze oil and fat. It’s basically and upgrade from the norm.

As for the rest of the burger – the flavours work together to make a somewhat tropical sensation, with all the freshness from the juicy fruits and veggies. It’s a tall, big burger, but still has a certain lightness to it. Would eat again.

Biggie Burger

Back due to popular demand, the Biggie Burger (yes, named after Notorious B.I.G), resembles a Big Mac. Although you’d expect this one to be the larger of the burgers, it’s surprisingly average sized. Inside this burger you’ll find; two vegan beef patties, vegan cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, onion and an extra slice of bun bread with Lord of the Fries’ take on Big Mac sauce.

What gives this burger it’s substance is the three slices of bun bread as the major element. Unfortunately the bread to sauce ratio was a bit off, making the burger a bit on the dry side. Perhaps ask your burger expert to go heavy on the sauce. Otherwise, the same patties are used in this burger as with The Lot burger, making for a flavourful, filling experience.

We asked our meat-eater friend what she thought of the burger, here’s her final thoughts – “It’s legit, it tastes just like a Big Mac! It’s tangy, but a good tangy because of the sauce!”

Mac & Cheese Balls

Ah, the Mac & Cheese Balls, the pièce de résistance – lightly translated to ‘masterpiece’. It’s the menu item we all need which we didn’t even know we wanted until a few weeks ago. In one serving, expect six, deep-fried balls of mac and cheese goodness. They’re perfectly fried to a golden crisp and about the size of a golf ball, will with a creamy concoction of sticky, salty, sweet, gooey, vegan cheese. Again, you wouldn’t know they’re vegan unless someone told you. They’re. That. Good. And extremely easy to down if you’re on the go or don’t want to make a mess of yourself.

We paired ours with the French Canadian sauce (cheese and gravy) and Italian sauce (warm tomatoey Neapolitan), but honestly, we think the Mac & Cheese Balls are exquisite when they bask in their natural beauty.

All in all, Lord of the Fries, you’ve done it again – pleasing vegans and non-vegans alike across the country. The innovative, ethical eatery really is paving a path for the future of food as the global movement towards plant-based eating continues to grow.

Words by Dale Anninos-Carter