A Visit To Derby Wing Fest 2023
Published On Thursday 8 Jun 2023 by Sticky Beak
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One thing that The Bolton Wanderer (Bestie’s hubby) likes as much as his beloved Craft Beer is Chicken Wings – he literally cannot get enough of them! Needless to say, then, when he got wind that His Nibs and I had been invited along to Wing Fest 2023 at Bustler Street Food Market in Derby, he spat his dummy out and went online to get tickets for him and Bestie Bird to come along 😊!
The weather was superb for the evening session and thanks to the slick entry system we were soon heading to the merch stand to grab a trucker cap (stay sun safe, guys!) and bag a seat at one of the many benches.
First job was to get drinks sorted, so the chaps got dispatched to the bar to get some Tiny Rebel craft ales - Clwb Tropica and Easy Livin Pale - (and cider for us ladies), and then we hit the wings stands in earnest! Armed with our tasting notes/voting card and its nifty floor plan in the centre, we soon worked our way through them all 😊. Special mentions to Filthy Wings, Yard Birds, Wings ‘n’ Tingz and BadBoy Wings – all of you served really generous-sized wings that you get totally stuck into.
Now, everyone’s palates are different but we all agreed that BadBoy Wings were our winners – both of their offerings scored top marks! The Garlic and Honey Buffalo with Blue Cheese were blooming fab, and very moreish, and we all fell in love with the Korean BBQ wings with their Miso Mayo, and crispy Vermicelli😊.
Filthy Wings, what the actual heck??!!!! Your Habanero and Mango wings with Mint smelled irresistible…which is where I went wrong. LOL. I took a whopping great bite from my wing and all was well for about 10 seconds, before all manner of chaos broke loose in my mouth! My lips were numb: NUMB!! Not my tongue, my lips! These minxes were hotter than hell; tasty, but by crikey! Thank goodness I didn’t do the ‘Lava Wings Challenge’ - I’d have looked a right wuss in front of everyone.
Poor Boys scooped the judges’ awards and, whilst we didn’t score the ‘Flaming Hot Cheeto’s’ wings above other vendors, we really loved the Cinnamon Toast Crunch wings. As the only sweet offering at Wing Fest, these stood out and as far as pushing the envelope goes, you pulled it off beautifully 😊.
Colombo Street Food’s wings were some of the smallest on offer, but we still loved the Green Chilli Buffalo Sauce that this team served up – they were fire 😊! We also grabbed some of the Pineapple BBQ wings and the contrast between the two was great: fire and sharpness from the Green Chilli ones, and sweeter, smokier notes from the BBQ wings.
As well as some bangin’ tunes to dance to in the inside area, there was also axe throwing to give a go if/when you fancied having a breather from eating and drinking. BB and me had a bit of a bop on our way to the ladies, picking up a couple of new gal-pals who were also feeling the good vibes at Wing Fest. Whenever The Man and I have been to Bustler there’s always been a fab atmosphere, whatever the event, so if you haven’t been here before I can definitely suggest you give it a whirl.
With all the Wings stands visited and our bus home beckoning, TBW went to buy some merch from Tiny Rebel before we left, and His Nibs grabbed some scrummies at Project D Doughnuts for us to scoff once we were back home. Wing Fest, we had a blast – see you next year 😊!! Binx and Co, thank you for the invite 😊.
Here are a few more of our photos.
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