The Weekly Wang: Sticky WingsBy Nick Horowitz
The fifth Weekly Wang review sees us go East once again, to a humble wing shack tucked down Brick Lane. Despite its location, Sticky Wings has built quite a name for itself. With a host of great reviews under its belt, and a bold claim to house “Britain’s Best Wings” (when this was declared is unknown), Sticky Wings attracted our attention like a drop of blood in the ocean to a great white shark. We had to see what the hype was about.
Whilst it’s not an exclusive wing restaurant, its offering outside of wings is limited. The Weekly Wang ain’t complaining about this though. We’ve only ever got wings on our mind.
Sticky Wings: The Facts
Name: Sticky Wings
Location: Brick Lane, Whitechapel, E1 6RF (south end)
Opening Hours: Everyday. Mainly 12:00-11:30pm
Time of Visit: Saturday; 4:00pm
Weather: A gloomy olde London day that makes you seek some wing warmness.
Wing of Choice: Wing Meal – US Portion Size (11 x Buffalo)
Sticky Wings: The Ratings
Presentation: Presented in the archetype American diner way; plastic fast food basket, greaseproof paper, pot of sauce, pile of wings. Simples. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Wings were well sauced all over and there was even a little pool at the base for an extra dip should you be inclined that way.
Sticky Wings: The Wings
Temperature and Texture: When they said the wings were going to take 20 minutes, I almost had a breakdown. When they arrived in 5, I almost passed out with joy. Luckily I didn’t, and could start to mentally preparing myself for the feast ahead. Wings were freshly made and warm, but could have been warmer to help warm my rain drenched skin. Crunchy, but not crunch-tastic.
Size: Normal sized drum and flats. Portion size is on point.
Flavour: This place is heavily associated with Frank’s Hot Sauce and this was clear in the buffalo sauce. Tasted like a simple Frank’s and butter mix with nothing else added. At times, the meat quality was also off in parts. I definitely hit some dodgy sections here and there, which made me feel like even more of a bad person inside.
Heat: Buffalo was warm but never challenged you.
Accessories: Meh. Obviously, I choose the blue cheese dip as my accompaniment side dip. However, it wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t homemade and had a manufactured taste to it. The ranch was no different. Very standard.
Cost: At £10 for eleven wings (and a side), you’re getting a great deal here. Cheap and cheerful.
Extra: Sticky’s supplementary supply is on point. Discard bucket. Napkins aplenty. A jar of lemon wipes. A cheeky hot sauce. I was certainly comforted by this supplementary support. The lady at the door was also lovely.
For some reason, you can’t just order a plate of wings. You have to get a side (chips is the default). Some will welcome this, but to me it was a small idiosyncrasy that bugged me like a mosquito flying overhead at night. I was also not happy with the suggestion that us Brits can’t take down/handle as many wings as the Americans. That’s #Trumptalk. Try me.
Sticky Wings: The Bottom Line
Sticky Wings does the basics well but doesn’t go that extra mile. It’s a safe option that does what it says on the tin, and doesn’t pretend to be otherwise.
