Last Saturday, my friend and I went to Wingmans Soho. For those of you who don’t know, Wingmans is a restaurant with one specialty – wings. Wingery’s (restaurants that specialise in wings) have been having a moment in recent years (think Sticky Wings, Wingstop etc), so it was only a matter of time before I ended up in one. I’m a self-proclaimed wing stan, I love them all. I’m tired of seeing the fried chicken ‘drums v flats’ debates online. A wing is a wing is a wing!
In the UK, lockdown 2.0 ended on December 2nd. The number of cases in London (where I live) are still high and I was quite anxious at the thought of going into Central London. Earlier in the week, I had a moment where I thought about cancelling the lunch date, but I talked myself out of it because staying safe doesn’t mean you should be confined to the four walls of your home (obvious, I know, but there’s still a fear factor linked to Covid-19 that does scare me a little from time to time).
It was quite busy in Central London but not as busy as I thought it would be considering lockdown 2.0 had just ended. As I approached Wingmans, I noticed that there was a long queue outside of the restaurant. We were in the queue for about five to ten minutes before we went into the restaurant. Something to know about Wingmans is that they operate on what I would call a session-basis. So, if you’ve made a reservation for 2pm, you won’t be let in until 2pm. Minus waiting in the cold, the system does make sense, especially in these times.
The ambience
The atmosphere in the restaurant was great. It wasn’t too loud and it wasn’t quiet either, it was very relaxed. The waiters were also very friendly. They went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed. I’m not sure if it was a weekend thing, but the music was nostalgic. There were moments where my friend and I couldn’t help but hum along. I love a bit of nostalgia.
One thing to note is that the tables at this branch are quite small. It does make for a cosy experience, but if that’s not your thing, then Wingmans do deliver to certain areas. Before you get your food, you are given a kitchen roll and some clear gloves. The roll came in handy, but we refused to use the gloves. We felt like the gloves would minimize our wing-eating experience. I feel like the whole point of eating wings is to get your hands messy and feel this whole sense of wonder at how amazing they taste, which we did.
The wings
We decided to go for the Signature Wings, along with Fries (with Rosemary Salt) and Sweet Potato Fries (with Maple Syrup and Caramelised Pecan Salt). Signature Wings include the ever popular buffalo wings as well wings with a range of different sauces inspired by cuisines from all over the world.
Here are the wings we chose:
Bang Coq
Sweet and Smokey BBQ
Jamaican’Me Crazy (Extra Hot)
Shanghai Oriental
Bang Coq is a Thai infusion of sriracha, honey and lime topped with Kewpie mayo, toasted sesame, pickled cucumber and onion. These wings were a personal favourite of mine. They were so flavoursome. I couldn’t help but think about the far East. The mayo was definitely one of the standout components of these wings. It had a very tangy and sweet taste. The sesame seeds also compliment the overall taste, which surprised me. Usually, sesame seeds are sprinkled over salads or eaten raw, but once I tried the Bang Coq, I understood why they would be included in a dish.
Sweet and Smokey BBQ is coated with Wingmans in-house BBQ sauce and is topped with spring onion, white sesame and crispy onion. These wings were delicious. They were everything I wanted and more, especially as a lover of BBQ sauce. The onions didn’t overpower the taste. The BBQ sauce was rich, sweet and slightly smoky. I felt the sweetness more than I did the smokiness of the flavour. Everyone’s taste buds are different, so your views may not echo mine. My only critique with these wings is that they needed some spice. Not too much, but the addition of some paprika or cayenne pepper (or something along those lines) would have made these my personal fave.
Jamaican’Me (Extra Hot) has a carnival inspired scotch bonnet base with spring onion, red chilli, ginger, coriander cress and lime. When I review food, I’m 100% honest about my experience. On reflection, I wish that my friend would have stopped me from choosing the Jamaican’Me wings. I had such high expectations that they were going to taste just as amazing as the other wings did, and unfortunately, I was let down. My issue with Jamaican’Me was that all of the spices and herbs I mentioned were placed on top of the wings. I wasn’t a fan of this idea. Also, in my opinion, the taste wasn’t pleasant.
It is such a shame because the majority of ingredients in these wings can compliment any dish to the highest degree. I think that the taste was more savoury than sweet but there was one ingredient that just lingered and left an oddly bitter taste on not just my tongue, but my friend’s as well. It took about ten to fifteen minutes for it to settle. Even a glass of good old water couldn’t get rid of it. It could have been the combination of the red chilli and the lime, I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t recommend opting for these wings. Honestly, I think the team at Wingmans need to review them. Something’s just not quite right. Again, my taste buds are subjective, so if you like the idea of the wings, then do give them a try.
Shanghai Oriental is inspired by Chinese street food culture. It is described as a sweet infusion of soy and sesame. I really liked these wings. They were sweet, crispy and well seasoned. There’s not a lot I can say, but I’d definitely recommend giving them a try. If you don’t really experiment when it comes to your taste in chicken, then the Shanghai Oriental is for you. The taste won’t ‘wow’ you, but they are enjoyable.
I can’t remember the name of the cocktail we chose but it had a really refreshing taste. I was so fixated with the wings that I forgot about my drink completely. When I eventually returned to it, it hadn’t watered down. It retained its taste.
One thing I like about Wingmans is that there’s so much variety on their menu. Additionally, because the menu is so descriptive, you don’t have to ask too many questions. I’m sure the waiters are happy to give recommendations, but sometimes when you go to a restaurant, you just want to look and choose. Also, you do get good value for money and the food is filling.
I would definitely recommend going to Wingmans. Their flagship branch is in Soho (Old Compton Street), which is where we went, but they also have another branch in Kilburn. As mentioned earlier in this review, they also offer home delivery in London as well. I’m not sure if there are any branches in the U.K.
Thanks for reading this post. As always, I love hearing from you all so let me know what you thought of this review. Have you been to Wingmans or any other wingery? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments xo
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