The Best Hot Chips in Riverland, South Australia

I seriously have not heard of anyone who does not go crazy over good hot chips. 

We can eat hot chips with so many different sauces and seasonings. You can have them with plain salt, chicken salt, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, rich brown gravy or black pepper sauce. My husband and I absolutely love eating hot chips. We like our hot chips to be served with chicken salt and a generous dollop of sweet or hot chilli sauce. 

When our favourite local deli closed down one day, my husband and I were very upset. It is very easy to buy hot chips anywhere in Australia, but it is very hard to find the best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia. Some hot chips we bought elsewhere were just lacking in the right amount of seasoning and crunch. Some were even too soggy for us to savour. The local deli that closed down had been the best hot chips that we have ever tasted in Riverland, South Australia. 

After hearing news that the deli was closing down, we shared with our friends from another town about our disappointment that we would not be able to buy good hot chips anymore. Our friends suggested that we try getting the hot chips from the Caltex petrol kiosk in Berri, Riverland, South Australia. Berri is a small town situated about 15 minutes drive away from where we live. 

We initially had difficulty finding the place as it is in quite a secluded area at the outskirts of Berri town. However, after getting directions from a friend who goes there to get her hot chips, my husband and I finally found the place. 

When we ordered our hot chips, we were asked whether we wanted a small, medium or large packet of chips. There were sample packets at the counter to show us roughly how big the packets were. We decided to get the medium packet because we felt that it was the right amount of chips for both of us to snack on for tea time. 

We waited for quite long time for the chips. When we finally got our chips, we were surprised when the staff handed to us a huge packet of chips instead of the medium packet of chips that we initially thought we were going to get. That ‘medium’ packet that we ordered had enough chips to last us for a snack, a dinner and a supper! 

The best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia

The chips were absolutely fantastic…with the right amount of crunch and chicken salt. I guess I just found my favourite hot chip shop in Riverland, South Australia. I shall crown these hot chips as the best hot chips in Riverland, South Australia…until I find another shop that sells better hot chips than this one. 

Got your favourite hot chips experience?
 

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Minion Happy Meal

What makes customers turn into a frenzy in Malaysia? Minion Happy Meal sets!

Not too long ago, my sister contacted me through Facebook and requested me to help her to get the Minion toys that came with the McDonald’s Minion Happy Meal sold worldwide. According to her, the Minion Happy Meal was a complete hit in Malaysia and that people waited for hours just to get those Happy Meals. She told me that she had tried to get the Minion Happy Meal several times but failed miserably as she was told that the Happy Meals were sold out when she finally reached the counter.

The Minions are the main characters for a movie called Despicable Me 2 that was screening in cinemas across the world.

When I went to McDonald’s in Renmark, South Australia to help my sister to get the Minion toys, I was expecting a long queue to get the Happy Meals – like in Malaysia. But to my surprise, there wasn’t even a long queue there. What’s more – we could even choose which Minion toys we wanted as they had plenty of them left.

After buying our Minion Happy Meals, my husband and I received several stares from other customers as we sat down. They must have been wondering why two adults would want to buy Happy Meal sets that were meant for children.

It’s just so amazing how a similar marketing strategy can get such an overwhelming response from customers from a particular country while customers from another country do not react to it at all.

The Minion Happy Meals were of good value. Each Happy Meal only cost about $4.00 – so that’s a total of $8 for a complete lunch set of burger, fries and softdrink for two people – and not forgetting the prominent and prized Minion toys. We got two different Minion toys out of the two Happy Meals we got. I guess that would keep my sister happy for awhile…probably until she craves for another Happy Meal toy. I hope she will like her new toys!

Our Minion Happy Meal sets

The laid back customers at Renmark, South Australia McDonald’s…live goes on as usual.

Customers banging down the doors of a McDonald's outlet in Penang, Malaysia 
(photo taken by China Press)

Customers waiting outside McDonald’s in Penang, Malaysia 
(photo taken by China Press)

So the question is - what made the whole nation of Malaysia go crazy over those Minion Happy Meals? Seriously, I’m still trying to figure that out! So amusing...

Cheers,

Caroline Poh