Hot Wings at Soul Shack - Chicken So Nice I Reviewed It Twice!



It's a miserable, blustery, rainy kind of Wellington Autumn day and I'm feeling kinda blue. Time for some soul food! I order the wings ($10 for 3), Level 3, and the shaker fries ($4). While I wait I order a craft beer from Goldings then chat with the lovely manager Ruby and have a laugh over a silly order she received recently. The perpetrator was elderly and had come off a cruise ship. Enough said. Ten minutes fly by and my food is ready. For $14 in total, I get 3 crispy mahogany-coloured wings, a good sized portion of fries (not too many, not too few - just right) and three slices of pickle.

The fries are delightfully seasoned, crisp on the outside, steamy and tender within. The chipotle mayo is decadently creamy with a hint of smoky spice. I bite into a wing. Crunch! Crackle! Like the sandwich, the crunchiness of the coating contrasts delightfully with the tenderness of the meat. At $3.33 per wing they are a little pricier than those $1 wings offered at various pubs on slow hospo nights. Some of the worse offenders can be drier than Oscar Wilde's wit and chewier than a Goodyear tyre. You really do get what you pay for: Soul Shack's wings are plump and juicy, triumphantly meaty.

I only got Level 3 (still working my way up to the legendary Level 4) and it blows my head off. My sinuses, suffering from inter-seasonal sniffles are cleared miraculously. Cheaper than nasal spray, and decidedly more delicious! For under $15 it is a generous amount of food, and at the end I am stuffed. I go to the bathroom to wash my sticky, spicy fingers and assess the damage in the mirror. My eyes are bloodshot and tearful, my nose crimson and my lips are inflamed and swollen. I looks like I have just had a bad breakup and went out and got my lips done. I am in 7.5/10 oral pain and it is so worth it. Maybe I am not worthy of Level 4 just quite yet. Ruby informs me that the Level 3 wings are significantly spicier than the Level 3 sandwich, as the wings lack bread and mayonnaise to absorb some of the heat. The Level 3 seasoning also contains California Reaper peppers and Habanero, just at lower doses than Level 4.

The outdoor area of Golding's is nice, and much better lighting for photo opportunities than the dim interior, but the radio is blathering away at an earsplitting volume, so minus 3 points. Gun to my head, I'd choose the sandwich over the wings but it is a close call, and it is always nice to have a bit of variety. Sadly I missed out on the Philly Cheesesteak special, but I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to sample their next special. Oh, and by the way, Soul Shack's chicken is Halal, if you're that way inclined. Once again, my expectations have been exceedingly exceeded, and I will be back as soon as I possibly can!

Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambiance: 5.5/10
Cost: $14 for three wings and fries

14 Leeds Street, Te Aro 6011

Comments

  1. RepugnantApril 22, 2019 at 9:26 PM

    Your review made me so hungry that I rushed down to Soul Shack even though it was 1:45 and they close for a siesta at 2:00. But alas, I scramble around the corner to find 5 punters standing there gazing into their mobile phones (no doubt waiting). I did a 180 degree turn and sluggishly walked back down Eva Street feeling overcome with grief.

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