Wing Lab’s Mango Madness

A DECADE after Olympic glory, the London Stadium in Stratford will host another epic event – the London Wing Fest.

For three days this summer, more than 40 food traders will serve their twist on chicken wings – including Wing Lab, which has just opened a second restaurant in Camden.

If your last experience of wings was a high street chicken shop, prepare to have your poultry horizons radically expanded.

Wing Lab, for example, offers up nine variations of their halal wings, such as Thai Time and Mango Madness.

Their vegetarian dishes are just as creative. Take the florets of cauliflower, cooked firm with a crisp batter, served with a zigzag of spicy vegan mayo, spring onions, black sesame seeds and lashings of sliced red chilli.

The young team behind this venture began with a first shop not far from the Tottenham stadium. (“It’s hectic on match days … a very community vibe” says one member of staff).

Now they have opened a new site on the second floor of Hawley Wharf in Camden Market, the striking new development that opened in 2021.

If you are yet to visit, Hawley Wharf is described as an “iconic canal-side space” with a mixture of shops and food courts, plus a Curzon cinema, boxing gym and subterranean theme park. The rooftop space is due to open soon.

Around 30 food traders are based here, each with their own high-spec permanent kitchen serving everything from Afghan wraps to Venezuelan arepas.

I have visited several times and it feels like Hawley Wharf is yet to fulfil its potential.

Due to its location tucked by the canal, some visitors to the market may walk right past; many locals give the whole area a wide berth.

This is a shame as the quality of food is excellent. “It’s become a place to eat. The level of street food has improved a lot,” explains Wing Labs founder Lucas Kyriacou, who grew up near Cantelowes Gardens.

His team spent a year and a half perfecting their recipes. For the Lemon Pepper, the chefs grate the zest of around 50 lemons then use a dehydrator to transform it into a fragrant dust and seasoning.

“Our Buffalo is made from scratch,” Kyriacou adds. “We blend about 12 kilos of fresh red chillies to get the bright colour. Then add a secret ingredient.”

We had a good time, perched on stools around the open kitchen. (There are also communal seating areas if you want a proper table).

The Wing Lab experience is designed to be fun and messy – we even wore plastic gloves to get stuck right in.

Each dish is carefully composed, with plenty of colour from the chillies, lime wedges, micro herbs and vivid sauces.

Extras include halloumi fries, a spicy Japanese cucumber salad and a vivid pink coleslaw.

This attention to detail is impressive. Wing Lab deserve to smash it this summer at the London Stadium.

Wing Lab
Unit M195,
2nd floor,
Hawley Wharf,
3 Camden Lock Place, NW1
www.winglab.co.uk
@officialwinglab