Wings N Sides: From Delivery-Only to Physical Location
FOLLY: In 2018, there's plenty work for Eat.Drink.Lagos sha. We've never had a list this long for pending reviews since 2015. 2016 and, especially, 2017 were so meh for restaurant openings. We're oh so excited for all the new cafe, shops and restaurants we have to check out in the coming months.
Original Lemonade
NOSA: The industry is growing, innit?
FOLLY: We'd previously reviewed Wings 'N' Sides when it was still a delivery only service but now that they had a proper eat in space, we had to go back to get the real experience.
NOSA: Important because fresh wings taste infinitely better than delivered wings.
FOLLY: I didn't take any pictures of the space. Although small, the owner did it justice - it's super casual and is in line with their menu.
NOSA: "Small" is generous.
Our spread
FOLLY: I found it a bit frustrating that you needed to order at least the 18-piece wings to get two different flavors. With both the six-piece and twelve-piece portion, you were limited to just one.
NOSA: This thing really ticked me off because getting two different 6pc portions cost more than one 12pc portion
FOLLY: I'm sure there's a good reason for it in terms of the kitchen's operations, I just wish I could have had more flexibility.
NOSA: I think what makes it so annoying is that they have lots of flavours and you find yourself wanting to try all.
Lemon Pepper Jerk (L), Island Jerk (R)
FOLLY: All my whining aside, there's a simple hack: order two six-piece portions and you have 12 wings in two flavors at an albeit slightly higher price.
Lemon Pepper wings from Wingsville (another wing place) are my current obsession so I just had to give it a try at Wings N Sides too. I also wanted something a bit spicy so my second choice was the Island Jerk.
Lemon Pepper Wings
NOSA: The ones from Wingsville aren't bad, but they aren't as authentic as the Lemon Pepper wings from Wings N' Sides.
FOLLY: The lemon pepper did not disappoint me at all. I mean, look at it - all that fresh black pepper it has been tossed in. It wasn't as tangy as the Wingsville's version, so I suspect they don't toss it in fresh lemon juice and black pepper after it's been cooked, but it was still so good nonetheless.
NOSA: They use a lemon pepper dry rub, I belive. The Lemon Pepper wings at Wingsville are battered wings, if I remember correctly.
Island Jerk
FOLLY: The Island Jerk wasn't really what I was expecting it was more sweet and sour than spicy. It was almost like we got the wrong flavor. Separately, Wings N Sides is one of the few places in Lagos where you'd get blue cheese and ranch with your wings order.
NOSA: The Island Jerk was actually my favorite of the pair. Not sure if it was because of the chicken itself or because of the bleu cheese. Either way, it worked for me.
I think my favorite thing about Wings N Sides is the actual quality of chicken used. In the past, I've complained about "Crossfit Chickens" served at Lagos establishments. Wings N Sides is a "No Crossfit Chicken Zone". If you have ever ordered chicken wings that you literally had to fight with to eat it, that's a Crossfit Chicken. The "flesh" is usually unbelievably tough and the bones might take your teeth out. With Crossfit Chickens, it almost like they go through the same Lagos struggles that you do.
Crunchy Chicken Burger
NOSA: The highlight of our meal was the Crunchy Chicken Burger. Ordered it for science and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. If you've ever had a "Hot n Spicy" at McDonald's, aka the best thing after the nuggets, the Crunchy Chicken Burger at Wings N Sides will be very familiar.
FOLLY: Aside: Wings N Sides has this fiery hot challenge thing. I would like to challenge some readers for our next EDL Taste Test.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: Sitting at the restaurant didn't really add much to the meal so I'll be more likely to carry out from Wings N Sides when next I visit.
It's also really great for when you're inviting friends over, you can just order a bunch of wings in different flavors and scam your friends into thinking you're a domestic god or goddess.
NOSA: The wings taste a lot better in the restaurant. Like, so much better. It'll be a damn shame if they don't get a bigger space in a couple of years because there's so much potential.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Lemonade - N500
Potato Salad - N500
Six-Piece Wings - N2000
Crunchy Chicken Burger - N1500
PARKING
This Lekki mall complex that Wings N Sides has really awkward parking.