Thunderbird, Canary Wharf

On the easternmost end of the Giant Robot in Canary Wharf, in a food court called Street Feast, lies the Thunderbird Fried Chicken stand.

The brainchild of ex-racer Matt Harris, Thunderbird’s menu is based on his chicken wings that won the 2015 Wing Fest for the best wings in London. The business has since taken off, and exclusively serves wings and fried chicken in multiple forms.

The Street Feast food court has an industrial décor yet has a relaxing feel to it. The Thunderbird stand itself is bright and vibrant. There are no unnecessary frills here; Thunderbird’s focus is good wings and fried chicken.

First from the menu was Matt’s award winning Chipuffalo wings (10 for £9), with pickled celery and a truffled blue cheese dip on the side. This goes well with Ting (£1.50), a citrus flavoured soft drink, or the Brooklyn Lager (£5).

The wings are crispy on the outside, but soft and juicy on the inside (a running theme with everything from Thunderbird). But the true hero is the sauce. An explosion of flavour when it hits the tongue; it starts off spicy and sour, then ends with a delightful cheesy after-taste.

The pickled celery and blue cheese dip are great for cooling the tongue before going in for a second bite. The unique combination of flavours with a hint of truffle oil cuts out the odour of the blue cheese that some may dislike. Ultimately, I think this dip adds another wonderful dimension to the already amazing Chipuffalo sauce.

Next came the Thunderbird Bucket (£18), a good ol' bucket of fried chicken thighs with a generous helping of fries at the bottom served with both Chipuffalo and BBQ sauce; perfect for sharing. Again, beautifully cooked chicken that kept me wanting more.

Last was the Thunderbun burger (£7). The play on textures with this burger was incredible. Each bite starts with its soft bun, moving on to its crispy chicken skin, and ends with its juicy chicken thigh meat. The Thunderbun’s Awesome Sauce holds everything together. This is a good alternative for those who can’t handle the spiciness of the chicken wings.

At its core, Thunderbird serves honest, cooked-to-perfection fried chicken, elevated by that amazing Chipuffalo sauce. I would definitely visit again.

Thunderbird

Giant Robot, Canary Wharf

Upper Level -1, Crossrail Place

Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AR

Instagram: @ThunderbirdCKN

Twitter: @ThunderbirdCKN

Website: http://www.thunderbirdckn.co.uk/

Opening hours:

Monday and Tuesday: 11am – 10pm

Wednesday: 11am – 11pm

Thursday to Saturday: 11am – 1am

Sunday: 11am – 6pm

#friedchicken #CanaryWharf #wings #London #CrossrailPlace #GiantRobot #StreetFeast