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We made it. The 10th Weekly Wang. What a time to be alive. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me so far on this epic culinary journey. And to you, my dear readers, I’d like to say that it’s been an honour so far to serve you up these regular wing reviews (sorry I can’t serve you up actual wings) on a monthly basis. I can only hope that you’ve been left gnawing at the bone for more.

So without further ado, the tenth Weekly Wang decided to visit Butchies. Having had a great deal of success at Broadway market for many years, Butchies finally decided, at the end of 2017, to open up their first permanent site in Shoreditch. Known for their incredible chicken burgers, we went to see if their chicken wings were on par.

Butchies: The Facts

Name: Butchies

Location: Rivington St, Shoreditch

Opening Hours: Mon-Wed (11am-10pm); Thu-Sat (11am-11pm); closed on Sunday

Time of Visit: Wednesday; 7:00pm

Weather: Kind of day I wished I’d moved to LA (to hang out with my dear friend Kevin).

Wing of Choice: Regular Buffalo wings (and then some Kimchi Honey-Butter wings)

 Butchies: The Ratings

Presentation: Harking back to the diner days, wings were served on a metal tray, with the actual wings neatly lined up in a recyclable container (very Vogue-esque) sat upon it. The wings were very well sauced; not overly drenched, but there was still a pool of sauce sitting in the base of the container should one need to dip.

Once again, I’ll reiterate: you always need to dip. Unfortunately, two rather flaccid pieces of celery were also served on the side. Let’s move on.

Butchies: The Wings

Temperature and Texture: Wings certainly could have arrived much warmer, as they went cold relatively quickly, which is not ideal when you’ve got a few to go through.

Luckily the texture was on point. The Hugh Jackman of wings; crunchy and rugged on the outside, yet soft and tender on the inside. No wonder Butchies are famed for their fryer handling.

Size: A sizeable mix of drums and flats. A meaty chicken interior inflated by a well fried outer shell.

Flavour: We are very much in the traditional buffalo sauce arena here, but its an incredibly sharp player. The vinegar is strong in this one. Therefore, if you want to try anything else, you’ll need to wait a few minutes to ensure you don’t mask out any following flavours. Alternatively, bring along a cheeky basil sorbet palette cleanser to speed up the process and get back to the wing massacre.

Heat: Hot-ish. More Lanzarote than Laos. The heat invokes a tingling sensation in the mouth long after eating but is not sweat inducing. If you want to go hot, go hot. Who would have thought it?

Accessories: The side sauce that came with the wings was disappointing to say the least. First off, it only filled a quarter of the pot it came in. A pitiful amount for the task ahead, but as it turned out this was a good thing. In my opinion, it was a little too thin, and the blue cheese flavour of the sauce was not potent enough. My guest liked it this way though. Each to their own, I guess.

Cost: £6.50 for five wings puts these wings above the normal going rate.

Extra: The metal tray was large enough to accommodate discards. But owners are like their dogs (right?) – and I, like my own pooch, the Boss man, don’t like to have my dirty work on display right in front of me. We’re both more of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ set of guys. Therefore, a discard bin would have been nice. That aside, there were plenty of napkins and a jug of water (not iced).

Butchies: The Bottom Line

A very welcome permanent addition to the poultry scene.

An important side note: after the buffalo wings, I re-tried the Kimchi Honey-Butter wings that I first discovered at Wing Fest 2017; where they went on to win the judges choice award. These wings are still an absolute delight because of their unorthodox flavour combo. I’d definitely try these before the buffalo, so you can really taste the flavours working here.

Header Image Credit: Jenni Sparks