Insanity wings. As the type of person who orders a mild chicken butterfly at Nando's, the name alone fills with me dread.
But when my editor asked me to try some of the hottest wings in the UK, I was determined not to chicken out. I was sent down to try the spicy chicken at Birds of Prey - a new addition to Manchester's Circle Square on Oxford Road.
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Years of cheap ready-made meals sat glaring at me on a warmer have left me feeling lukewarm towards fast food restaurants.
So I'm presuming this place is nothing more special than the usual chicken joints I have indulged in too many times, either on drunk nights or when feeling too lazy to cook (guiltily, pretty often).
Yet Bird of Prey's (BoP) exterior welcomes me with sleek black outlines and trendy neon signs. The design feels Gen-Z orchestrated, with bright luminous lights, and bold colour palettes splattered across the high ceiling build.
There's a relaxed atmosphere with the chatter of couples and groups over a hip hop soundtrack. As I look lost, staring at the wide selection above the counter, a friendly staff member, who introduces himself as Ryan, guides me through the menu.
He recommends the Messy Chick fries because of the diverse mix of flavours and the La Cuca-Racha burger with its hearty chicken thigh and siracha mayo.
I sit myself down in the black, blue, and yellow-decorated restaurant, the menu having pretty much reeled me in by this point.
With a wide menu of seven different types of burgers including a halloumi 'flightless birds' vegan option, a selection of BoP wings with supplementary sauces, and messy sides, it's clear I'm not short of choices.
One of the owners tells me all the food is made to order and cooked fresh, nothing is pre-cooked. He says they make their own batter, and marinate the birds in buttermilk for at least ten hours overnight before dredging them in their flour, herb, and spice mix before dropping them in the fryer. It's a relief that I'm not consuming food from off the warmers for a change.
Wanting to order as much as possible from the menu, I order Ryan's La Cuca-Racha burger recommendation (£8.50), accompanied with Messy Chick fries (£8.50), and select 10 wings for £12 including their Insanity, Buffalo Hot, Signature and Crispy selection.
I delve into the chunky La Cuca-Racha burger and I'm met with a delicious marinated thigh smothered in rich sriracha mayo, not too spicy, coupled with pico de gallo, American cheese, lettuce, chopped pickles, and jalapeno that leaves a warm tangy aftertaste. The burger thankfully lacks a heavy weight of grease, and the lightweight buns are just the right size.
As a sucker for loaded fries, it didn't take much convincing to order BoP's 'Messy Chick' house sides. I am rewarded with a significant portion of fries (could make for a main), with BoP's own tasty and tangy cheese sauce melted over the layer of chips. The white Alabama BBQ sauce makes for a smoky and zesty mayo with tender chicken strip pieces, turkey bacon, and tangy jalapeno's trickled on top.
It's hard to not keep picking at the fries between hefty mouthfuls of the burger, but I remind myself I am here for BoP's signature selection of fried chicken wings, given all the high praise they've got in online reviews.
Determined not to chicken out on the "Insanity wings", I find there's flavour, lots of it, popping off like Fizz Wizz in my mouth, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Then there's heat. I'm not dumb enough to take huge bites, but when the heat hits it's 'hot hot,' but not bitter.
The chicken is so softly tender, and the heat allows room for a zesty spicy mix, made up purely of the super insanity-dripped sauce (no chilli powder). If you are a hot head (unlike me), this is the right heat.
Once my mouth has stopped burning, I move on to the light and crispy wings with a choice of two dips - from garlic or siracha mayo, Frank's Buffalo sauce, Alabama white BBQ or BoP smoky BBQ, BoP gravy, blue cheese ranch dip, black garlic hollandaise or BoP cheese sauce (my favourite).
The Buffalo Hot wings are glossed in Frank Buffalo's sauce and blue cheese ranch dressing and garnished with spring onion. Thankfully the chicken wings are not greasy or heavy. Their signature wings are melded with a zing of two types of BBQ sauce, smoky barbeque and Alabama white sauce, a sweet flavour pourable over everything. It leaves my fingers and mouth absolutely covered in sticky sauce, but I love it.
As I rise from the booth, belly full, I watch as Ryan models up a Choc-a-Bloc shake made up of dark chocolate sauce, brownie pieces and crushed Maltesers. Next to the counter stretch old-school drinks on tap - Vimto, Irn-Bru, pink lemonade, and Coke Zero.
The owner explains how BoP turns dessert into milkshake, like their Campfire Vibes edition made from s’mores, caramel sauce, maple syrup & bonfire toffee sauce.
As delicious as these milkshake-desserts look, I opt out of the sweet-tooth boost (although it may well have quenched my fiery thirst), watching as students, Deliveroo riders, and families alike bustle in and out the doors.
I found Bird of Prey had a quirky feel, offering modern take-out food that tastes good at a decent price on one of Manchester's busiest streets. If you want to enjoy fresh comfort food and great shakes, pay a visit.
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