Starting the New Year With A Stop: Wingstop!

With my current state of affairs here in Singapore, I have rarely found time to blog about my food finds.  Heck, I almost forgot my own password for my blogger account, finally figuring it out after a couple of tries.  It has indeed been so long since I've written anything! And it's such a sad predicament, especially with the treasure trove of multi-cultural cuisine that can be discovered in this island.

Nevertheless, the short break during the holidays gave me enough time to rave and rant about something I so thoroughly miss.  Despite the myriad of other cuisines here, I chose to share my first ever chance to devour one of my favorite comfort food - buffalo wings!

My kind of wall. 

Strangely, Singapore's love affair with chicken wings start and end with either barbecue wings or Asian fried chicken wings.  In my nearly three months here, I have never encountered a joint that served buffalo wings with much dedication.  This fueled my craving for the wings I miss most.  So, when I discovered that an American wing franchise was setting up its flagship store in Bedok Mall, I didn't think twice.  Wings or bust.

American vibe all the way.

Wingstop, as I soon learned, was quite well-established in the U.S. (though I've never heard of it in my few visits there).  Their first store in Singapore is quite the experiment - the space is safely small, its location unassuming in one busy corner of this mall.  Brightly lit, with famous U.S. landmarks providing the wall graffiti, the spot exudes American vibe all the way - a welcoming sight for ex-pats here, for sure.

Queing for the 'cue.

Like most wing joints, ordering is straight-up, no frills, fast-food style.  But mind you, the wings are made-to-order, so rest assured you're getting freshly created masterpieces.  Wingstop offers up to 11 unique flavors, and tiny red chili icons beside each item alert you to the spice level. However, there are only four flavors that come with a spicy kick (Original, Cajun, Louisiana Rub, and Atomic) - a tad disappointing for us who like to dabble in heat.  Seems like the flavors are not too challenging.

Unidentified flat object.

We ordered two of their 6-piece combo sets which seemed easier on the pocket (nothing is cheap in Singapore, of course!), priced at SGD 9.95.  The combo comes with 1 side, your choice of 1 dip, and of course a drink.  We chose to top-up (ooh, I so love that word here) one combo for a larger order of french fries and drink, all for an additional SGD 1.50 (around 53 PHP).  You can opt to mix two flavors for the combo, by the way.  After placing our orders, we were handed out this queer flat disc that lit up once our order was ready.  Pretty cool.  Chicken Charlie in ATC actually has a similar contraption.  Way to go!

You call these wings? Butterfly wings, perhaps?

The moment I grabbed my tray, my excitement dropped from eager anticipation to graveyard sorrow.  The wings were so miniscule!  Those absorbent white paper did nothing to help their sorry state  - it nearly obscured the dwarvish wings.  Still, I kept my spirits up as I slowly bit into each piece.

Cajun Flavor

My first dibs was the Cajun, as I still distinctly recall my last bite of Cajun in Red Buffalo back in the Philippines (oops, haven't posted that one yet, stay tuned!).  The authentic taste managed to perk me up again!  Each piece was lovingly coated with a unique mix of sour and zesty sauce, with a dash of real cajun spices that you can actually see!  The flavor seeped in to the juicy meat, and the skin was as crisp as it can get.  This was true cajun style wings, no doubt.

Louisiana Rub

I chose to stay home with the Southern flavors, so I picked the Louisiana rub.  Mundane to the eyes, the dry rub was barely noticeable.  At first bite, the flavors are subdued and subtle, almost bordering on the ordinary fried chicken flavor.  But as you continue munching away, the real flavors emanate, although still weakly.  This would have been a knock-out, had it been executed well.  Perhaps continuous bites were needed to bring out the flavor, but the only problem is, the wings were too small! (Luckily, for unknown reasons, an extra piece found its way in my tray accidentally).  Still, the wings were admirably crunchy on the exterior and juicy within.

Original 

For our third set, we tried out their version of the Original Buffalo flavor, as our palates sorely missed that distinct tangy taste.  To our utter disappointment, it was nothing close to the original.  It tasted more like sweet tomato ketchup flavor, like that old Jolly spaghetti sauce!  It was the biggest letdown of the night.  There was no trace of that sour-y and zesty flavor so typical of real buffalo wings.  Epic fail for a shop that claims to be wing experts.  In my opinion, every buffalo wing joint should get the original right!

Garlic Parmesan

But, the savior of the night came in 3 little pieces.  The Garlic Parmesan was perfectly done - crisp on the outside, bursting with flavor on the inside.  The strong taste of garlic was matched harmoniously by the parmesan cheese, cloying on the palate, joyfully playing on the tongue.  Every corner of each piece was full of flavor - down to the sinews and the bone itself.  Memories of our experiences in Wingman back in Makati were instantly conjured - this Wingstop version so closely mirrored what we had before.  This alone will make us come back for more.

6-piece Combo Set, SGD 9.95 (around 350 PHP)

All the wings would have been perfect with rice, but sadly, there was none (not even cajun rice).  We picked a large order of fries for our carbs, though.  And these were glorious - not your fast-food type lard fries.  The 1.50 SGD top-up was well worth it.

What's inside the big pack?

Fries overload!

In spite of the terrible mishap of the Original flavor, Wingstop manages to churn out at least one chart-topping flavor, the Garlic Parmesan of course!  The Cajun comes close, but I still have to try out the other flavors.  But, I can't help but compare Wingstop, a supposed American strongman, with the Philippines' own local versions.  First off, the servings back home are way bigger, not to mention with lower price tags.  Pound-for-pound, Wingstop is light-years behind in flavor and creativity with our own top guns (Wingman, Buffalo Wings 'N Things, Red Buffalo).

I still hope these are just first game jitters for Wingstop, and it needs to find its wings fast!  But for now, for lack of anything that comes close to real fried chicken wings here in Singapore, I would keep coming back - even for just the Garlic Parmesan or the Cajun.  Sorry, but the chicken wing scene in the Philippines is flying higher than anything here.

Jones

Wingstop

Bedok Mall

311 New Upper Changi Road

#B1-53

Singapore