Monday 15 October 2012

The Orange Buffalo, Shoreditch


I have an addiction to wings. Chicken wings, specifically, covered in hot sauce. That perfect ratio of meat and fat, crispy chicken skin doused and softened in sauce that gets all over your hands and face. My friend did a month of veganism last year and we celebrated the end of it (as if I'd abstained from meat too) by cooking a kilo of them and scarfing them down with only our shame and a roll of kitchen paper for company. It was glorious. Last year another friend and I contemplated starting a market stall selling wings; lack of driving licenses, money, and time put paid to that idea. So I'm glad someone else did it.


The Orange Buffalo specialise in New York style buffalo wings and on a sunny Sunday, we could barely refrain from running from Liverpool Street station to satisfy our wing lust. A truck located in the Truman Brewery, they had picnic tables set up out front. We chatted to the man in the truck he told us of his troubles of finding free-range chicken wings, but find them they did and now they offer 8 wings for £6, in either Original or Woof Woof sauce. We enquired about what the sauces were which prompted a tasting of them off the end of little straws. The original, mild in chilli heat but flavoursome and tangy was bested by the Woof Woof; scotch bonnet fruitiness that tingled on the tongue. Even better was the Paul F - I can't remember what the exact story was behind that name [ED: This was named after the man who has eaten at the truck every day, currently over 100 days. Thanks @xirfan!), but it was spiciness tempered by the sweet fruitiness of mango. There was one hotter but still not face-melting. Less interesting in flavour, we decided on the first three we tried with a side of chunky chips. 


Served with celery sticks and a blue cheese dip, each portion we ordered was sweet, messy deliciousness. The wings are deep fried first before being tossed in each of the sauces and served in a paper dish. The roll of kitchen paper was decimated as we stained our faces and fingers with orange, intermittently sucking air through our teeth to douse the flames. The chips, ordered as an afterthought turned out to be pretty amazing; crisp, fluffy inside and dusted in 'American spice' - "it's like crack, this stuff" - and topped with a
blue cheese sauce, all for £2.


We're going to be regulars here, and if that means I get fat then so be it. I'll be fat and happy. 

The Orange Buffalo
Old Truman Brewery
Ely's Yard
London E1 6QL


Opening times - Monday 12 - 3pm
Tuesday - Sunday 12 - 8pm
Check their twitter feed for early / unexpected closures too

11 comments:

London Food Freak said...

I don't have a driving license either :(

the gannet said...

good hot wings are one of the simplest, dirtiest joys of food. made a massive batch recently and was shocked how easy they are, specially when you consider how often they're destroyed by pizza places! the butter, the heat, the animal gnawing of bones. its well sexy. totally trying this place!

Hollow Legs said...

London Food Freak - no food truck business for us then!

The Gannet - agreed. It can be a bit of a faff deep frying the wings though, so for £6 I'd rather get over to Orange Buffalo!

PDH said...

Chippies and blue CHEESE! I'm sold.

J@Feasttotheworld said...

Chicken wings covered in hot sauce is absolutely one the best thing in the world, the other being Crispy Fried Chicken. These looks delicious and I love the sound of that Woof Woof sauce - what a fantastic name!

Helen said...

HOT BIRDS

Hollow Legs said...

Paul - BLUE CHEESE SAUCE! Glorious.

J - Crispy fried chicken is a favourite too. Now if only someone could do a decent version (Disclaimer - I haven't tried Spit & Roast...)

Helen - HOT BIRDS R.I.P.

Shu Han said...

"and if that means I get fat then so be it. I'll be fat and happy. " --> Best words spoken xx

Unknown said...

That's lunch sorted tomorrow then!

Anonymous said...

I walked past O.B. a few times while I was in London. Cheese and Biscuits, did not say good things. I would trust your blog more. Now I wish I had tried O.B.
However I did find BanhMi 11 (superb food).
One chicken dish I am in too in a big way is Malaysian Nonya Chicken, again Gordon Ramsay, got me in to it. Next time in London O.B. will be sampled.

Helena Lee said...

Love wings too, and sometimes am caught daydreaming about them. I love the crispy ones in Kaosarn.

This truck sounds on the money. And as for being Fat and Happy - listen to this: a song about cheering up and filling out.
http://soundcloud.com/robertmarr/rob-marr-fat-and-happy
x