Potato Cake Appreciation Society, 241 Campbell St, Swan Hill (2026)

23/05/2026

Hey, missed me?
It’s been a while, and for that I’m sorry. You look as great as ever, I can promise that. We’ve got a long list here, at PCAS. We’re gonna get to your suggestions and recommendations, I promise. No one prepared us for the realities of adulthood either, and even the precious occupation of reviewing potato CAKES has become a secondary responsibility as life has taken charge, but I promise that I take it as seriously as ever.
And on that note, as I found myself waiting for the bottle shop to open so that I could make a work-oriented purchase, I also found myself with an opportunity to review a local potato cake, and you certainly must take every chance that you receive.
Drysdale Convenience Store happened to be open, and have a relatively full Bain Marie on this particular Sunday morning. I could identify various cuts of battered and/or crumbed chicken, potato gems, and (arguably most importantly) potato cakes as I stoped for a bottle of sparkling water. Only one thing interested me, and I soon left with two potato cakes, having paid $1.50 each, neither served with any salt garnishing, chicken or sea.
These cakes were clearly store bought, and had been waiting for me for a while. But they were definitely not the worst bain marie discus chips I’d ever attended to. Gently oily (thankfully, fresh oil), however somewhat dry, the papery batter was crisp along edges, though hard over most of the cake. The processed potato filling was a mix between fluffy and doughy throughout. Overall, this was an average but satisfactory experience.
5/10

17/10/2025

The thing of legends. A story from a family member, of days from the 80s, the finest fish and chippery in town, and an eagerness to showcase a distant memory to someone that considers themselves a potato cake connoisseur.
I was in Swan Hill recently, and my dad wanted to show me what was known to be the best takeaway around back in his day. To quote him; “it didn’t used to look like this”. We had apparently interrupted an impromptu lunch between the two older workers when we entered, a plug-in stove top still bubbling away with some form of curry while we ordered and waited. $1.80 was paid per potato cake, and the time waiting was filled with quiet conversation, the bubbling of both the stovetop and fryer, and the subtle humming of a drinks fridge that had survived since the 90s. I’ve said it before; never judge a book by its cover, and despite the cracked tiles, inconsistent (and partially sold out) menu, and appearance that the shop was also a private kitchen, the cakes were “pretty good” (quote my dad, 21 August 2025). I don’t believe these to be homemade, but the batter was crisp and papery, offering a decent crunch though not being overpowered by their gentle oiliness. These were smashed with table salt, but only the two outer copped the brunt, and the inner three had a very suitable dusting. These were refreshing, hot, and the potato filling (a single slice) was fluffy and well cooked.
7.5/10

18/07/2025

Hey, it’s been a while. Sometimes, you put your head down, get busy, and lose focus of the important things. But there are three certainties in life; death, taxes, and potato cakes.
Location, location, location. You could argue that Dimmie Den the smartest location of any steamed or deep fried food truck in Victoria’s capital. Wearily travellers from Southern Cross, tired shoppers from DFO, and ecstatic, depressed, or broke AFL supporters from Marvel Stadium all have easy access to this bustling van parked at the top of the staircase leading up from Bourke St. Don’t be misled though, this is not a review for their various cat coffins, as discus chips are also a prominent element of their menu. At $2 each, these morsels were handmade, flash fried, and ready in around 2 minutes, with orders steadily flowing in and out for the duo in the truck. With your choice of sea or chicken salt (I opted the latter), these were served fresh, hot, and oily in the classic brown paper bag. These were coated with a hard, crunchy batter that tasted of well used oil (however, not overused). The potato centre was a single fresh and fluffy slice, in which the oily taste was concentrated. Both cakes steamed in the cool Melbourne air, though the second was thicker, with more veins of crunchy batter, and a less intense taste of oil allowing for a fresher potato flavour. Quickest service and only homemade potato cakes around the CBD
7.5/10

28/02/2025

The Yarra Valley. I’d honestly never been, and I was blown away by its beauty. Truth be told, this time I wasn’t traveling purely in search of potato cakes. Primarily it was to see the Redwood Forest, with wineries being the next priority. That said, rarely can you find a winery open on a Monday, which may explain why a solid fish and chippery was not able to be found on the venture back home…
We were looking for a stop with both a fish and chips, and a bottle-o that supplied local wine. The first stop was Wandin, but unfortunately the IGA stocked no local wines (but some great rissoles), and the fish and chip shop was closed. However, once we reached Mount Evelyn, we found not only a bottle shop that stocked no local wines, but an open fish and chippery!
Mt Evelyn Fish and Chips (appropriately named) let us know it was alive with moving LED lights, and we quickly crossed the road. Fortunately, potato cakes were available, as a lot of their menu were not, but soon $1.30 per discus chip was paid, we spent minimal time waiting, and were once again on our way home. For the first look, these were home made, and of a decent size. Each cake was more hard than crispy, making the overall experience somewhat chewy. Although quite bland, there were some crisp bites that offered the occasional crunch. The centre of each cake was a thin sliver of potato, and although fresh, they tasted as though they had been awaiting our arrival in a roadhouse bain marie. It’s always worth mentioning that we received a freebie, however it is odd that the potato cakes had a finish of table salt, yet our chips had none at all.
5/10

21/02/2025

What’s the perfect amount of potato cakes to order? It can’t be one, cause that’s just a silly order. Two seems stingey, and I wouldn’t throw a freebie in with just two discus chips. So I always order three. This may have been my downfall on this occasion, as each were so different it made the review very difficult.
It was a Sunday arvo, 26 January (call it whatever you want), and I happened to be in Ballarat, struggling to find an open fish and chip shop. The Alfredton Fish Shop was open, and busy, as you’d expect. $1.20 was paid per pot cake, and surprisingly, the order was ready in under 10 minutes. From the first look, I could tell that these were homemade, but looks didn’t give any indication on the culinary journey I was about to be taken on across the multiple morsels.
Cake #1 had a hard, crisp batter that offered a satisfying crunch as my teeth tore it from the potato. Each were a decent size, slightly bigger than the mass-produced average. The centre was comprised of a single slice of potato, oily but well cooked. The potato was quite thick in some spots, particularly the edges. With were coated with a thicker, hardened batter. Where the potato was thicker, it wasn’t as well cooked, presenting a touch doughy, and cake #2 was certainly served rare. Despite being undercooked in the centre, cake #2 featured a burnt batter, showcasing the worst of both worlds. The third cake (and the fourth, a freebie), were somewhere between amazing and not, making it very difficult to ascertain a solid ranking. Finishes with chicken salt, at least the freebie aided the review.
6.5-7/10, depending on the potato cake

11/02/2025

Heywood, Victoria. A bit of a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ little town. The GPS told me to turn off and skip the town, but being a connoisseur of tiny town takeaway, I knew better than following the map. There’s two takeaway shops in Heywood, I tried both, and this was the victor; as Forrest Gump says, “that’s all I have to say about that”.
Bondy’s Fish and Chips, busy on this day, tradies and tourists mingling as they waited for or were enjoying their deep fried or grilled lunches. $2 a piece was paid for their homemade potato cakes, the fryers dropped, and I was soon headed back to the car with a hot paper bag of deep fried delights (and some residual oil). From the first look, I could tell I was onto a winner. Each discus chip was coated with a papery batter that offered optimal crunch with each bite. The batter bubbled from the thick, well cooked slice of potato that comprised the centre. Each was oily, but a clean oil, that didn’t take from the incredible taste of these morsels, and this oiliness was balanced by the perfect amount of sea salt. The potato filling of the second cake was minutely undercooked, however this cake featured incredible layers of crisp batter
Heywood’s premier 9/10

27/01/2025

Now this one has been coming for a long time…
Since the early days of PCAS, we’ve received numerous tips and requests that we visit one of country Victoria’s key stop, Mortlake Roadhouse, known affectionately as “The Roadie”. Fortune struck, and an interstate trip just happened to take us through Mortlake, and the fate of our meeting was settled.
The Roadie is a respectable establishment, the walls adorned with trucking-related imagery, an amazing array of deep fried delights, cakes, pastries and sandwiches on offer, even its own line of merchandise. But what I respect the most is the sign taped to the counter. I cannot remember it word for word, but the gist was “Bain Marie Rules: We are a roadhouse, and we pride ourselves on efficiency. If you want quick food, order from the bain marie. If you’d like your food cooked fresh, please inform our staff”. I didn’t want to waste anybody’s time, and ordered three discus chips from the bain marie, and continued on my way. I’m glad I did, as each pot cake was enjoyable in its own way. Clearly made in-house, each cake was coated with a (still) crisp batter, and was thiccc! The golden brown batter offered plenty of crunch, and cracked away to reveal a plentiful centre of fluffy potato, slightly doughy in the thickest of points. Generously sized, each morsel was still oily and finished with a gentle dusting of chicken salt. These cakes had an absolutely fantastic flavour, and I can completely appreciate why so many of you have let me know to drop in over the years. This certainly won’t be a one off!
8/10

09/12/2024

Summer is finally here again; the season of beaches, road trips, and of course, fish and chips. While the Woolies shelves might be empty, deep fryers nation-wide are still bubbling, frying fan favourites for fish and chips fans from far and wide! Though this roadtrip took me in the opposite direction of the beach, you can never travel anywhere without almost certainty that a fish and chips or takeaway shop will reside within your destination of choice. Bannockburn hosts two fish and chips fans shops, on the same street (naturally), however it was Bannockburn Take Away that took my order on this particular afternoon.
There were two signs that first indicated that this would likely not be a 10/10 experience; the first was that it seemed like a chore for me to be served, the second was that these potato cakes were clearly mass produced off-site. After handing over $1.60 per morsel, and a short wait, I was soon headed back to the car, curious to see what kind of delights awaited me in this tightly wrapped bundle of white paper. Each cake was thin and crisp, coated with a crackly batter. These were red hot, clearly straight out of the fryer, as they were heavy and laden with boiling oil. So oily, in fact, that the thin batter collapsed and the cake folded when picked up. The oil tasted fresh, definitely a positive as there was so much of it. A single slice of potato made up the centre, soft and well cooked (though dripping). Surprisingly enjoyable taste overall, finished with a possibly overly-generous dusting of table salt; I could feel my arteries hardening with each bite. It was fortunate that my meal was wrapped in so many layers of paper, as I certainly needed to wipe my hands repeatedly.
5/10 (-1 for the hair on my prawn cutlet)

Potato Cake Appreciation Society

23/05/2026

17/10/2025

18/07/2025

28/02/2025

21/02/2025

11/02/2025

27/01/2025

09/12/2024

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