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Weekend grub: New wings joint Wingitt lets you make a meal out of comfort food

Weekend grub: New wings joint Wingitt lets you make a meal out of comfort food

Wingitt's USP is the wide variety of sauces it offers - everywhere else in Karachi, you get just two
Updated 11 Mar, 2016

If you're the kind of foodie who makes a meal out of the appetisers section of the menu, the recently opened Wingitt in Karachi will let you do just that.

The brainchild of Samar Sultan and Syed Zeeshan Haider, daughter and son-in-law of masala king Sikander Sultan of Shan Foods fame, Wingitt launched at this year's Karachi Eat food festival and left customers in a finger-licking, lip-smacking state of glee.

We decided to seek similar comforts, now that Wingitt's launched its own outlet.

Where to go

Wingitt is located on the same road as popular cafe Neco's and the Bina Khan salon
Wingitt is located on the same road as popular cafe Neco's and the Bina Khan salon

Located on Lane 1 of the Bukhari Commercial area, i.e, the same stretch as Neco's and the Bina Khan salon, Wingitt is easy to find if you're familiar with the area. If not, it's best to get precise instructions because the lane numbering in Bukhari Commercial can leave one thoroughly confused. (We found out the hard way!)

When to go

Wingitt can only accommodate four small groups of people at a time
Wingitt can only accommodate four small groups of people at a time

Wingitt is open from 12pm to 1am everyday. Their outlet will seat just four small groups of people, so if you're a big bunch of wing eaters, perhaps it's best to call ahead to find out if there's enough room.

You can always camp out in your car and eat your wings there, but that could quickly become a sticky situation. The Wingitt chef was turning out orders quite fast on a weekday night, so the wait for a table may not be long.

Wingitt has a playful side: Customers can fill out this gamesheet while they wait for their order and a 'Blazin' Challenge' is scheduled for April. Psst, the winner gets a return ticket to Dubai!
Wingitt has a playful side: Customers can fill out this gamesheet while they wait for their order and a 'Blazin' Challenge' is scheduled for April. Psst, the winner gets a return ticket to Dubai!

Wingitt director Syed Zeeshan Haider is present 8pm onwards and guides and serves customers himself during peak hours. The joint also offers takeaway and is currently looking into delivery options.

What to eat

Wingitt's menu is limited to chicken wings and a selection of other fried sides. Its USP, however, is the wide variety of sauces it offers. Everywhere else in Karachi, you get just two:

"When we moved back from Minnesota, we started looking for a good wings place in Karachi," Wingitt director Zeeshan told Images. Back there, they had a lot of great wings joints. In Karachi, there were only two kinds: Buffalo and Barbecue. We then decided to introduce some variety with our own wings joint," Zeeshan told Images.

There's something for every spice level at Wingitt. For those who like it hot, there's the quintessential Buffalo, as well as Hot Pepper and Wasabi. There's Masala, Spicy Garlic, Sweet Thai Chili and Barbecue for milder palates, and Honey Soy, Sweet & Tangy, Honey Mustard and Cheese available as non-spicy options.

The chicken wings served dry with Buffalo, BBQ and Honey Mustard sauces
The chicken wings served dry with Buffalo, BBQ and Honey Mustard sauces

The wings are first deep-fried and then hand-tossed in a bowl, as opposed to machine-tossed in a rotating contraption, in a sauce of your choosing. "We decided to do it the old classical way to ensure our wings are fully coated," shared Zeeshan.

If you don't like to get your fingers sticky from the get-go, they'll oblige your request of serving the sauce separately (as shown above).

While customers have been raving about signature flavours like Buffalo and Barbecue, we found the Spicy Thai Chili to be their stand-out flavour. The sauce's sweetness was light and didn't sit on the palate for too long, so one can easily sample it between bites of the tangier sauces.

The Spicy Thai Chili wings served coated the sauce, as is the Wingitt method
The Spicy Thai Chili wings served coated the sauce, as is the Wingitt method

The rest of the sauces deserve praise for authentic flavour. The Buffalo is as piquant as anywhere else, and is served with ranch sauce to counter the strong taste, if need be. The Honey Mustard was too subtle for one person's liking, but was a hit with everyone else. The BBQ also meets expectations, though it threatens to overwhelm the palate and may cause some to reach for a change in flavour.

For variety, we also tried the mozzarella sticks from the sides menu. They arrived at a temperature that allowed for immediate devouring - which was lucky, since they smelled amazing. The herb crust on the mozzarella sticks was different from the wings batter, so it's the best choice from the selection since the rest is more chicken (in the form of nuggets or strips) or just plain ol' fries/wedges (served with a sauce of your choosing, of course).

Mozzarella sticks had a delightful herb crust
Mozzarella sticks had a delightful herb crust

There's only one dessert option at present, and it's a good one. The cookie cake is more like a slice of pie - it doesn't crumble, its fudge filling is dense yet it doesn't overpower with the sweetness. It's a good way to round off one's slightly glutinous meal of chicken wings.

The cookie cake is surprisingly light
The cookie cake is surprisingly light

Wingitt is also introducing boneless chicken wings this weekend and grilled chicken wings for its health-conscious customers in April, so be on the lookout for those.

Damage on the pocket

The menu has been broken down into several options, and you can choose one that matches how much you'd like to dish out for chicken wings.

In order to sample a number of sauces, it's advisable to order a four flavour platter that costs between PKR499-1199.

The Wingitt menu
The Wingitt menu

Comments

nurul huda Mar 11, 2016 03:19pm
Prices are reasonable and anyone who hasn't time to cook like me can enjoy.
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JAMIL Mar 11, 2016 03:59pm
price is bit high four pieces 250 Rs
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Skeptic Mar 11, 2016 04:07pm
8 pieces of wings for Rs.400 or just under $4? Even more expensive than U.S. or Europe!
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Mahmood Mar 11, 2016 04:24pm
Let's see at Rs 100 a kilo, will get about 30-40 wings. So that's about Rs 4 per wing. Throw some spices and batter on it, fry it and viola, the value goes up 10 x!? That's a huge p!rofit margin
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East indian Mar 11, 2016 04:42pm
Junk foods bad for health
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Satt Mar 11, 2016 04:43pm
Instead of eating and consuming them I would be rather use these costly wings to fly.
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kash Mar 11, 2016 05:11pm
8 wings and chips + drink is pricey at around £4.50. That's even more expensive than UK prices. 6 wings and chips here in UK is £1.99 (296 rs)
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M. Malik Mar 11, 2016 05:35pm
I guess this place is appropriately named 'Wingitt'..?? Like try to sell overpriced imitation western food, and some fool will buy it! You can fool some of the people some of the time! Until now, didn't Pakistanis know where to get grilled or fried chicken for a reasonable price??
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Faisal Mar 11, 2016 06:35pm
@kash Yeah but you are forgetting the cost to go to UK to get that groovy deal!
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Baloo Moshai Mar 11, 2016 08:14pm
Those pictures are not appetizing in any sense of the word. The wings seems to be swimming in oil and look more like KCS than classic Buffalo wings. I think I will pass.
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Imran Mar 11, 2016 11:13pm
Yes indeed. 8 wings cost us £2 in London which is roughly RS 300 so it's cheaper here then in Pakistan. Wow
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Jabbar Pasha (Canada) Mar 11, 2016 11:56pm
Spicy and oily foods are no good for the heart. We should control our diet.
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WAIZ Mar 12, 2016 11:17am
Hi Sunairi, Though looks pretty different but, the ultimate focus stays with the quality of food and the overall experience that one can expect at the restaurant...wish'em good luck ! Pa
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M. Malik Mar 12, 2016 12:29pm
I can see why this joint is a little shack, with scant seating space. Hardly any customers at these prices? How could he breakeven with perhaps a dozen customers a day at most!? Poor pricing model. He should cut the prices in half, to maximize sales. Not only would be break even, but could actually make some profit at the end of the day.
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Naveed Mar 12, 2016 01:40pm
Rs. 50 a small chicken wing? Unless it is cooked with Safron and cooked in pure butter, it is way overpriced! I can get a Chicken Tikka - a whole quarter of a chicken for Rs.50 in a my neighborhood. Add a crispy naan, and some salad, and for Rs. 100 you have a filling meal!
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Wing Lover Mar 12, 2016 09:05pm
The quality , size and taste ....... at a price like this
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Imtiaz Faruqui Mar 12, 2016 10:02pm
The chicken wings look so ugly, I would not eat them, the cook can add some food color and make them look eatable and pleasant, and the 3-wings are full of oil. I am sorry to say these fast food and burgers I saw display the low standard and the prices are sky high, too many non-pro. people have jumped into this business. The beef is cheap, bread and potatoes and ketchup. but the burger is Rs500 to 700, its cheaper in America.
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KSA Mar 13, 2016 11:08am
I tried it and i thought it was very good value for money. The wings are good sized, filling and a meal. The sauces are authentic and very tasty. 8 piece of wings in Middle East at a normal restaurant (not posh place) would cost atleast 40 Dirhams/Riyals. Similarly in US i think its close to 10 dollars.
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Parveen Sadiq Mar 14, 2016 09:37pm
Karachi has come a long way in last 6 years since i came to Pakistan.So many new Restaurants and Eatries have come up.There is so much creativity in names of the new dishes and eating places.It feels like Pakistanis returning from USA and Europe have brought the same eating experience. The only difference is the price.When i convert Rs.to $ it is very pricy there.Here every body can afford fast food and many more.I wonder how many can afford eating out in Pakistan.
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