These chips could have gone by the name “creamy garlic” and it would have worked just as well. I don’t really feel like I’m eating a bowl of carbonara when I eat these chips, it feels like there are a few elements missing. The cheesy, cream sauce is most certainly there, and it’s probably the most important part of the flavour, so that’s good. I’m not an expert on Italian pasta sauces, but I imagine that garlic is also an important ingredient as well. As far as I know though, there should also be some kind of ham or bacon flavour, as well as a good dose of black pepper too.

The fact that both of these flavours are largely missing is odd, because both of these flavours are very common as potato chip flavours. I thing I’ve seen just about every cured pork meat made into a potato chip flavour before. Pepper is so easy as a potato chip flavour as you can simply add the real thing. I’ll admit, of the 4 elements that make up a carbonara, taking out the pepper and cured pork is probably the two parts I’m most okay with. The problem is that I feel like you’re not really making a carbonara potato chip without them.

I actually really liked these chips, but I have to be honest, if you tried to sell me a bag of creamy garlic potato chips, I may not have bought them. Selling them as an Italian themed flavour looks good on a the bag, it allows you to add the Leaning Tower of Pizza as a decoration. I just feel like there could have been a bit more effort to get the flavour of the sauce right if you’re trying to sell them a carbonara.