This victory, celebrated with fanfare last night, is a consecration for Julien and Mike, the two partners behind this chip shop launched 8 years ago. “It’s recognition for the work done and it’s very cool. We are very happy and especially since I am quite emotional“, confides Mike, for whom, to put it mildly, he is feeling overwhelmed following this victory. And Patatou never fails to attract crowds. “Since the episode about us aired, things have been a mess around here. In fact, today we are fully booked for orders. You will have to pick up on site“. But in addition to this victory, the show allowed them to make new clients, and more importantly, meet new people, in the profession and elsewhere.
Julien and Mike created Patatou on a whim 8 years ago. If Julien was in the restaurant business, nothing initially meant that Mike, who worked in the pharmaceutical sector, would embark on such an adventure. “There was this chip shop which opened a year or two. And one evening with Julien we decided to take the plunge and make something crazy out of it, just like at home. We wanted a different concept. In 3 months, we left our jobs, emptied our accounts and created our company“.
The bet was risky but it was a success, particularly through the work done to have the flagship of this type of establishment: perfect fries. To get there, “we work with fresh fries that we cook with beef breast. We looked for this crispy effect in the potato which we hardly found elsewhere. The real consecration is when our old customers tell us that they find the fries of their childhood“In addition to fries, the now young dads also focused on quality burgers. The products are fresh and local.”The bread comes from a bakery in Bousval, the meats such as beef and bacon come from Genappe and the vegetables from the vegetable vendor. We also have snack products like fricadelle but that’s not our main focus“, explains Mike.
And regarding the secret of good fries, it comes, among other things, from a cooking secret, Mike laughs, but also from “always pay attention to cooking and pre-cooking. And this is also very important when you need to change potatoes. Cooking must be adapted to maintain quality even when it is not the usual potato“. Indeed, depending on the time of year, you have to change the potatoes. On the occasion of Fry Week which started this Friday, we addressed the question in the DH. And precisely, the fritkot we face a shortage of bintje during the summer holidays, forcing us to switch to another variety, Spanish but close in taste and texture to bintje. But no worries on Mike’s side.We get organized. When we need to change potatoes, we do tests. This keeps the quality high. Testing helps find the right temperatures and times“.
Belgian fries are doing well despite “fear” of the weather
Finally, there is the atmosphere of the place. Mike and Julien wanted to give Patatou their style. “We wanted a circuit atmosphere. We both ride motorcycles and also on circuits. This is us!“So, it’s not just Patatou’s preparations to discover its vintage and warm atmosphere made of various recycled objects. “It’s a bit like an antique shop here except that we don’t sell anything“.
And for the future, the intention is to export Patatou, while maintaining consistency and quality fries. “We would like to open a second establishment in the region, ten kilometers away to be able to maintain the quality and our suppliers now where, we do not yet know“.
