Flaming Wings

How cute, the Buffalo has Wings. I see what you did there.

Due to popular demand, as decreed by the vox populi, Flaming Wings is the next up on the Extra Rice Taft Tour. Located in the heart of the Archer’s Nook, directly behind Army Navy, Flaming Wings is the go-to destination for Chicken Wings, Tenders, and their Wicked Oreos. Is it deserving of its recognition, though? Let’s find out.

Poetry in Chicken

This post was made possible through the requests of our readers. We would like to thank Jejedudez and AkoSiBudoy for their suggestion, as well as all the others who would prefer to remain anonymous.

Dishes Ordered

• Hunger Buster – Wings – P125
• Hunger Buster – Tenders – P125
• Pulled Pork BBQ Plate – P155
• 3 Wings – P147
• Wicked Oreos – P75

The Restaurant

Uncomfortable seats? Read these to forget that!

The Archer’s nook is a tightly kept array of restaurants and salon services that don’t allow for much wiggle room in between establishments. In trying to keep with that trend, Flaming Wings

Flaming Wings keeps roughly 12-15 tables and (surprise, surprise) seats between 40-50. The tables are slightly shaky and the seats are lacking in backing, forcing you to lean on the shaky table to get your balance and risk losing your food to the floor. To make matters worse, all their tables are a little too close for comfort, a fault that was made even more obvious by the lack of ambient sounds in the restaurant, which allowed (nay, forced) me to eavesdrop on almost any conversation in the vicinity of our table. That may be a positive thing if you’re a spy, but as a regular eater, it’s a far cry from being a comfortable experience.

My attempt at getting a food photography job.

What Flaming Wings lacks in its comfort levels, however, it makes up for well in its atmosphere and its image of possessing a loyal fanbase. Countless drawings, messages, and dedications can be found gracing an upper wall in the restaurant, sending out heartfelt testimonials that inspire a prospective customer to “try the wicked oreos for a wicked treat” or to “eat the tenders and you’ll be tenderly loving Flaming Wings”. These are actual messages that can be found on their wall (enlarge the image to try to find them!). This mosaic of positive reinforcement is a clever move on the part of the restaurant, as it allows you to forget the uncomfortably tight atmosphere and see the real purpose of Flaming Wings: the food.

The Food

They have a kick of spice. Maybe they can call them "Kickin' Wings". Ha.

Flaming Wings is known for having great pastas and rice meals in their repertoire, boasting a wide selection of both types of dish. However, after seeing an entire menu page dedicated to their namesake, and so many different options on the menu for it as well, we decided to max out on the chicken. Our chicken orders consisted of two Hunger Busters, the popular set meal that comes in the form of chicken tenders and wings, and the traditional wings order for good measure. To complement our chicken was a pulled pork barbecue plate, which would then be washed down by their famous wicked Oreos.

"Tenders" Loving Care. Ha.

As “Wings” is half of the restaurant’s name, we’ll start with that. And as “Flaming” is the other half of their name, we decided to go with the flow and go spicy. While Flaming Wings offers a variety of sauces for your wings at varying heat degrees, we went with their WILD Sauce, which, apparently, was so hot that it needed a menu disclaimer. While the sauce was the perfect ratio of hot sauce to butter that makes the Buffalo Wings sauce, it failed to impress in the heat department. However, the special sauces we ordered, which were the wasabi mayo and the aioli, perfectly complemented the heat. The wasabi mayo addd its own sharpness that gave an even more fiery experience, while the aioli mellowed the flavors with a smooth garlic taste.

Tastes like traditional barbecue with a Filipino twist.

The next two dishes were the Chicken Tenders and the Pulled Pork Barbecue Plate, both of which were home run dishes. The tenders, which were thin strips of chicken encrusted with a crunchy exterior, gave a pleasant change in texture when biting through. The pulled pork barbecue, on the other hand, was a intensely flavored, extremely tender pork platter that had flavors of grilled adobo and asado, which came with a delicious coleslaw that provided a perfect richness to the pork. Both of these dishes are definitely forces to be reckoned with in the Flaming Wings menu.

They look "wicked" tasty. Are these jokes working?

The last dish that came was the dessert, which was what everybody who suggested Flaming Wings said was a “must-try”. I’d have to agree with them. Three cookies are served in an order of Wicked Oreos (which I heard used to be four), and are laid out around the plate with a center scoop of vanilla ice cream. The entire plate is dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg, both of which invade your olfactories as you stare at the golden brown treats, giving you a complete sensory overload. The batter is slightly crispy, but gives way to chewiness inside, and soaks up the ice cream perfectly. It is easily one of the best desserts that I’ve had in DLSU for that price, even with one cookie less than before. The recommendations were true: it’s a Flaming Wings “must-try”.

Overall, you get a very satisfactory amount of food at a fair price, with spicy wings and an affordable dessert to wash down the heat. It may not be somewhere I will return to very often, but if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s definitely worth a shot.

The Staff

Oreos en Macro

As has been the trend with most of the reviews of the past, Flaming Wings boasts a small staff in charge of a small location. There were three servers in total, which included one cashier and two runners. None of them are what you can call sociable: they lack the smile that you expect when you get your service, the kind that pushes your experience to the next level. What they lack in “smile with a service”, however, they make up for with speed. Our meal came to us in under 10 minutes, and even as fast as 6.

It may not be a “happy meal” that the staff gives you, but they give it fast enough that you don’t have time to consider it, which, I guess, ultimately evens out.

The Verdict

The Cross-section of the Oreo

Restaurant: It seems that the deeper you get into the Archer’s nook, the shoddier the restaurants start to look. Flaming Wings has an artistic fan base and gives off an atmosphere that their customers are truly dedicated to the restaurant, which is a nice confidence boost for a new eater. However, they provide little real estate value for their customers, and do not make it a very memorable experience inside. However, if you are by yourself and would like to think that you’re part of a conversation, then the tight space may be just right for you. Rating for the restaurant: 7/10.

Food: If it’s wings you crave and nothing else, then you may order the wings. If you want value that outshines getting chicken alone, then get the Hunger Buster. Wicked Oreos are a must. After the chicken, the pastas and rice meals also seem like a good try. In general, Flaming Wings does well with their food, and gives you a price you’d expect if you’d like to feel full. Rating for the food: 8/10.

Staff: As it has been with almost all of our past reviews, the staff can move fast because of the small area. They aren’t a pleasant bunch to be around, but they are efficient, and leave you alone unless they think you need something. Given that, and their below-10 minute service, I cannot complain at all. Rating for the staff: 7/10.

Overall: 8/10.

Mathematically, their score should be 7.5, or around that. However, I think that Flaming Wings does a good enough job with their food to make up for the shortcomings of the staff and the restaurant. If you ever find yourself on the other side of the tracks and looking for a satisfying eat, then Flaming Wings should definitely be on your list.

You can find out more about Flaming Wings on their website. When you get there, tell them Extra Rice sent you.

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I love reaching the end of the post and seeing these huge "artsy" foodporns.