Lotteria Seasoned Fries Review: Can Onion Dust Save the Day?

With the regular Lotteria fries being a huge disappointment, we now had to try out their "Seasoned Fries". Our hopes weren't too high given their regular counterparts were barely crispy, inside too mushy, and especially flavorless. But perhaps the seasoned version might be different. Perhaps they might be prepared with a different method. Here's our Lotteria Seasoned Fries review.

Upon selecting the Seasoned Fries in the menu screen, we had to choose from one of the three - Onion, Cheese, and Chili. We decided to go with Onion. The fries were delivered in a big paper bag and a strange little packet that resembled instant ramen seasoning. In somewhat of a disbelief, we opened the bag to see their regular fries in the paper bag.

The supposedly Seasoned Fries at Lotteria. The seasoning comes on the side like a ramen.

So essentially, Lotteria's Seasoned fries was just their regular fries served in a paper bag with a side packet of seasoning. We couldn't believe what we were realizing. We naturally poured the dusty syntehtic onino smelling powder in the bag and gave it a shake. Due to the clumpiness of the powder, it really had to be a vigorous shake before we were able to get the seasoning somewhat spread evenly.

Yes, you shake it. Vigorously.

You start with regular fries, literally. Even after shaking, you can see that the seasoning is still clumped in some areas.

Texture (4/10)

Nothing has changed here, as they are just their regular fries. Minimal crisp, no crunch, mushy and muddy innards.

Same exact fries as the regular version.

Flavor (4/10)

Yes, it tastes better than the flavorless regular fries, but marginally. Quite frankly, we felt this was outrageous. Have you ever put instant ramen seasoning into ramen package with uncooked noodles to make a "ramen snack"? Well that is what Lotteria expects you to do but only resulting in an uneven distribution of the seasoning (due to clumping) creating pockets of too strong or too weak flavor. The seasoning itself is not of high quality either; the smell had a strong sourcream and onion (which we love), but the actual taste was bland and uninviting.

Shape (4/10)

Again, nothing different here as seasoning does not change shape.

Presentation (2/10)

There isn't much of a presentation here. The fries come in a paper bag that diners can mix it with seasoning powder and give it a shake. Sure, that is probably the best way to spread the powder evenly. But they really did not think what happens after the shake. We could only access the fries by ripping the paper bag which resulted in an unsightly and intentional layout.

Experience (2/10)

Here at the Fries Blog, we love creativity and passion demonstrated for the excellence of progressing delightful potato consumption. The Seasoned fries from Lotteria however seems to be the exact opposite. Yes, the shaking experience was unique, had it have been done right. And perhaps that was the original intent. But for this instance, we felt it was a slap in our faces with pure laziness and thoughtless execution. The entire concept left bad afternotes for us.

Texture	4
Flavor	4
Shape	4
Presentation	2
Experience	2
Overall	3.2 / 10

Conclusion

Lotteria's half-baked attempt to sell a seasoned variant of their disappointing regular fries backfired. Artificial and bland sourcream and onion flavor, spread unevenly, despite the best efforts of vigorous shaking. Lotteria, if you are reading this, we suggest you scrap the product, go back to the basics of creating great fries, and think about proper techniques to season your food.

Display wall at Lotteria. The marketing photos look great while you wonder why what's in front of you can't be that tasteful.