Share & Compare: Chicken Wings

By Kerry Allen & Tom Mangione

Autumn is here, but we couldn’t help but give one last hurrah for summer barbecuing by checking out the best chicken wings that Shanghai has to offer. Tender, juicy and sometimes packed with a zing, these wings had us licking our fingers. Ladies and gentlemen, get your wet naps ready! Here they come!

Shanghai Brewery

The Buffalo Wings at Shanghai Brewery are a hearty, no holds barred rendition of the Buffalo, New York originals. Breaded, deep fried, then smothered in a tangy, slightly spicy sauce, these wings mean business. Every bite is a calorie laden return to American bar food culture. Refined these wings are not. They’d go better with a Budweiser than some namby pamby Belgian import. But class isn’t everything. Coupled with a side of blue cheese sauce and celery, carrot and cucumber sticks, you can either bring the decadence up or down as your taste buds take you.

RMB 60 (eight wings). Shanghai Brewery. 15 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu. Tel: 3461 0717. Web: www.shanghaibrewery.com

Amokka

This cosy little former French Concession café isn’t an obvious choice for Buffalo Wings, but then again, these aren’t your average Buffalo Wings. Covered in what we could only assimilate was some type of teriyaki sauce, we found that these tender and somewhat refined helpings, cooked to perfection and served with a sharp, blue cheese sauce, were surprisingly good. So much so in fact, that we were fighting over the final wing, having stripped and licked our previous wings down to the bone.

RMB 46 (five wings); RMB 64 (eight wings). Amokka. 201 Anfu Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu. Tel: 5404 0998

PiRO Restaurant & Bar

PiRO may be better known for its gut-busting burgers, but it also sells a range of buffalo, bbq and garlic-parmesan wings in smaller, more manageable portions that won’t induce as much of a food coma. Still, what they lack in portion, they make up for in grease. Every mouthful of these wings was a guilty sin of fat that even KFC would do well to rival, meaning that you’ll need a beer to wash these wings down (or three). Needless to say, we struggled to finish our serving, but then again, it’s often a challenge to finish any of the monster meals served at this restaurant.

RMB 35 (six wings); RMB 65 (twelve wings). PiRO Restaurant & Bar. 89 Changshu Lu, near Changle Lu. Tel: 5403 8513

Southern Barbarian

Among its adherents, Southern Barbarian is known for their mega-comfort foods of Fried Goat’s Cheese and Mashed Potatoes, their wide selection of import beers and their barbecue. Basted with Yunnanese spices, a bite into the BBQ Chicken Wings provides an entire rainbow of flavour, radiating from the piquancy of pepper and chilli to a mild, tangy aftertaste that lingers on the tongue. It’s a psychedelic tastebud trip to be sure; however, to hold all that flavour, these wings are served in a thick coat of oil, preventing the skin from reaching its crispy potential. This isn’t a bad thing if you like your wings tender and bit on the soggy side, but our taste buds were longing for the same savoury flavour with a bit of a crunch.

RMB 35 (six wings). Southern Barbarian. E Area, 2F, 169 Jinxian Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu. Tel: 5157 5510

Winner!

After several tubs of blue cheese, dozens of carrot, cucumber and celery sticks and a full pack of wet naps, we crown our winner the Buffalo Wings at Amokka. These wings might be a departure from the style of the Buffalo, New York originals, but we stand by them so much we’re ready to advocate they be called Shanghai Wings instead!

Availability
All meals are available on Sherpa’s. Tel: 6209 6209. Web: www.sherpa.com.cn