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