The Weekly Wang: St Bart’s SmithfieldBy Nick Horowitz
The eighth Weekly Wang sees us visit a local establishment: St Bart’s Smithfield. Like many London food outlets, St Bart’s has recently jumped on the wing bandwagon, as the demand for fine poultry continues to grow across the capital.
It may not be a W.S.V (wing specialist venue) but the Weekly Wang ain’t complaining. In our minds, the more the merrier. Just as long as they can do a job. Let’s see.
St Bart’s Smithfield: The Facts
Name: St Bart’s Smithfield
Location: West Smithfield, Farringdon
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday (12-9pm)
Time of Visit: Tuesday; 7:00pm
Weather: Dark is the night. Cold are the toes.
Wing of Choice: Boss Level Chicken Wings
St Bart’s Smithfield: The Ratings
Presentation: Wings arrived on a metal dish, which was neat. Cleverly, the plate was hot, which kept the wings warms throughout the session. The plate was a little small though, and as a result the wings were cramped and hard to manoeuvre.
St Bart’s Smithfield: The Wings
Temperature and Texture: With the help of the aforementioned hot metal dish, the wings arrived at a very warm temperature. Absolutely lovely. Although the room was dark, the chicken quality was good and there were no signs of black. Disappointingly though, there was a distinct lack of crunch though across the board. This might be explained by the cooking method. It seemed like the wings were baked in an oven or grilled, rather than fried.
Size: Six normal sized wings in a portion. Collection of flats and drums. 3/4 bites per wing.
Flavour: This is quite a sweet wing; the problem is you don’t know necessarily what the source of the sweetness is.
Heat: The ‘boss level heat’ was certainly not boss level. The heat does not build up enough to achieve this accolade although it does get to a level where lips still tingle a bit, which is good.
Accessories: The wings arrived with a mysterious white sauce, which is never a good thing. The server informed us it was a combination of blue cheese and mayonnaise. The problem was it didn’t taste like it. Why someone would want to take the great blue cheese sauce and tinker with it in such a manner is a mystery. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Cost: At the time we went, St Bart’s was offering free bottomless wings on Monday evenings, when you purchase a drink. Unfortunately, this great deal is now over but management did mention that this offer might run again in the future. Currently a plate of wings will set you back £5.
Extra: St Bart’s certainly know what they are doing when it comes to this very important category. Discard plate. Plenty of napkins, iced water, and even a water bowl lemon and lime. Real five star treatment here.
The Weekly Wang: The Bottom Line
Stereotypical pub food that is a step up, albeit a small one
P.s If you appetite for poultry is not satisfied by the wings, definitely order the half chicken. It’s a decent dish that is very filling. The house cider – using their own apples – is also great.
Header Image Credit: Jenni Sparks
