Crispy Wings

Caught wind about the new Crispy Wings! Western Delights stall that had recently opened its doors at the revamped coffeeshop at Blk 26A Chai Chee Road. Currently run by Chang Cheng Mee Wah, the coffeeshop now sees quite a decent variety of food options from both established names and newcomers into the F&B scene alike; think familiar names such as Orh-Kee Noodles 潶志麵家, as well as a stall serving up Thai cuisine that is named Thai Sabai! 泰爽了! Crispy Wings! Western Delights is the only stall that is serving up western cuisine in the coffeeshop, and is also a stall that is rather recognisable considering how it is located right smacked in the middle of the entire coffeeshop — the signboard being especially prominent since it does feature a few bright orange elements with images of their Signature Crispy Wings being shown on it as well. Despite its relative newness, the opening of the stall has already been making its rounds around social media, with 8days having also written a short article about the stall. On first look, the menu at Crispy Wings! Western Delights seems rather limited as compared to the likes of some modern-style western cuisine stalls that are found in coffeeshops or food courts around the heartlands — the menu being split into sections categorised into Fish, Chicken, Pasta and Sides. Crispy Wings! Western Delights seems to pride themselves over their Signature Crispy Wings that is being listed on their “Sides” section of the menu — patrons can get to order their Signature Crispy Wings at a lower price of $1 per wing (to a maximum of 10 wings; the ala-carte price is $1.50 per wing) should one order the Signature Crispy Wings alongside with a main course.

Having skimmed through the menu, we decided to opt for the Grilled Fish; this is especially considering so that we had wanted to opt for one piece of their Signature Crispy Wings to try and that we were intending to go for a lighter item to create some stomach space for the addition of the Signature Crispy Wings which we had planned for. Turns out, Crispy Wings! Western Delights does allow patrons to opt between rice or fries for their choice of sides — each main also comes with a fixed side of baked beans as well. The grilled fish looks no different from that of the same that is served at other western stalls in coffeeshops and food courts in the heartlands; if anything, we did find the slab of grilled fish to come in a decent size. Some places would have prepared the grilled fish with a crisp exterior but it seems that the direction taken by Crispy Wings! Western Delights is for the fish to remain soft and moist — emphasising more of its flakiness rather than how it is being pan-grilled. One thing of particular note is that there is a prominent hint of herbs that come through with the herb seasoning that they have added before drizzling that black pepper sauce above it. We were actually rather confused by the use of black pepper sauce here — not sure if it was a mistake considering how we had ordered the Grilled Fish and that the Grilled Fish and the Black Pepper Grilled Fish are two separate items on the menu. Nonetheless, the black pepper sauce had its own appeal — it carried prominent hints of peppercorn that balanced against the thick, garlicky brown sauce base; a great accompaniment to the fish. Thought the fries could be more evenly seasoned though they were crisp without being particularly greasy, while the fixed side of baked beans does seem like an odd decision considering how baked beans isn’t an item that is especially well-liked by locals here — definitely would work better to our preferences if coleslaw was to be served as a default side dish in place of the baked beans instead.

To be really fair, we did find the food served at Crispy Wings! Western Delights to be pretty decent — they do serve up some pretty value-for-money western fare, and their highlight is now doubt on their Signature Crispy Wings that is priced especially reasonably for those who are ordering it as a top-up to their main. Having tried their Signature Crispy Wings, we were glad that their Signature Crispy Wings were served upon-order — this is especially considering for our case how they do fry them in batches but they seem to run out of the Signature Crispy Wings so frequently that they fry them in batches only to be wiped out almost immediately. This also means that some waiting time is expected for the food at Crispy Wings! Western Delights; this is especially so for those who are intending to order their Signature Crispy Wings. The Signature Crispy Wings were decent; for the most part, they were crispy enough on the exterior without being full of batter — the flesh is also piping hot, juicy and tender, though it seemed to lack flavour from the brining process. Overall, we felt that the Signature Crispy Wing was good, though it fell short of being great — possibly an item that we would not mind having if in the area, though not one which we would make the travel out too far for. Prices at Crispy Wings! Western Delights does seem to speak well to the folks staying in the heartlands — the mains listed in the Pasta, Chicken and Fish sections of the menu mostly being priced below $8 with the exception of the Full Spring Chicken priced at $12.90. We reckon that Crispy Wings! Western Delights would be a popular spot with those whom are residing around the Chai Chee neighbourhood; a wallet-friendly option with decent quality for the heartlanders for sure!