You'll find it at the bottom of the menu of every good fish and chip shop, underneath the list of seafood and burgers, next to the dim sims and potato cakes.

The price often varies, as does the quantity. So what exactly will you be given when you order "minimum chips"?

A man and his quest to eat chips. Credit:Chris Hopkins

"It's completely arbitrary. Minimum chips is a small serve you can get at any fish and chip shop," says Brandon Gatgens, the man behind the 'Minimum Chips Melbourne' Instagram account.

Armed with a set of scales and an undying hunger for carbohydrates, Brandon is attempting to answer fast food's most enduring riddle.