Fryer Tucks Chicken Wing Emporium
Fresh, crunchy wings and comfortable surroundings.
Hackney? Nah mate. Pinch that Wick.
This isn’t some brushed up back-water like regenerated East London dominated by urban pirates, spend and trend rife and new-world cultural assimilation. This most certainly isn’t about Randy’s.
This, is Bridgwater.
Home of the world-renowned Guy Forks carnival and where militant piracy, drugs, cash and arms laundering isn’t some Nuevo-hipster pursuit, but is part of the subculture and history of the towns existence. Bridgwater also just so happens to be the proud home of an iconic wing emporium - Fryer Tucks. Steeped in originality and delivered by the pursuit of a simple but resolute vision, Fryer Tucks is unrivalled by anything locally.
An ambience of dark colours and dim lighting, somewhat suggestive of times gone by. If it wasn’t for the eclectic music, you’d easily find yourself believing that wayward and insipid characters, meeting in the shadowy corners, planning, plotting and black market trading were not so long ago crunching on a wing here.
Walls are bedecked with a unique curation of original works, inspired and guided by a leading local artist. You are forgiven for getting lost in the works on show, as the mind is gently toyed with.
Follow, a most satisfactory range of craft beers is more than enough to whet and service the appetite of all, with several low or alcohol free IPAs and lagers included, alongside a few strong ciders. If the dim lighting and shady corners invite anything, it wouldn’t be out of the question to doze into a Henry Weston riddled post-chicken stupor. One would find themselves most at home.
The business end, of course, is the chicken (and Caulli) itself. And the sauce. So saucy. This is really where the attention to detail and resilience of vision comes into its own. A quest to provide consistency fried morsels of chicken and cauliflower and accompany them with a variety of flavours to meet most preferences. Consider that done.
Menu layout is simple. Decide how much chicken you want and if you want to have bones in for more flavour and skin. Wings for die-hards. Goujons for the children (totally my subjective view and veiled criticism of any adult who doesn’t take wings). And plant-based cauli ‘wings’.
Salted skin-on fries. Asian Slaw. Some pickled delicacies, some more palatable than others.
No baps, no wraps, no unnecessary extras. Identity is stark and clear. It does what it does. It is what it is. And it does this bloody well.
All put together in a tiny little kitchen, the offering is realistic, targeted and controlled. So fresh, so good, so much I need to go back tomorrow. The succulence and tender interior of both chicken and cauli so gently nurtured by a satisfying buttermilk marinade.
The range of sauces meets every need and preference. Sweet, fruity, umami into a gradual build up of heat. All the way, for those who so desire, to an (at time of wiring) undefeated chilli tolerance challenge, which lays in wait for the ambitious of the pressured. From witnessing, if it’s pleasure that your visit aims for, stay clear. But, for the so far unheralded title of King-of-the-Wing, go for it.
In a culinary world of make believe, image conscious market forces - the Fryer Tucks temple of fried chicken is not just refreshing, it’s exciting, comforting and satisfying. There’s no doubt that I am not alone in wanting to go back time and again. It’s lucky for me, that the journey time from home makes it that much less rational to visit several times a week.
Ultimately, it’s the delivery of the product. The service and story means something. The food is consistently fresh, reliable and high quality. Its hard to get the crunch the cauli wing out of my head from my last visit.
This isn’t just a ‘if you find yourself in bridgwater’ recommendation. This is a genuine plea to go out of your way to find that comfort, at a more than reasonable price point (which for all of us is a huge impact on our dining out decision making currently).
What I’m saying is, even if chicken ent your thang. If you’re remotely nearby and thinking you want something casual, but maybe a little bit different to your normal, test yourself with Tucks. I really think you won’t regret it. After years of spaffing out huge menus, half-hearted final taste success as victim of image priority, this is just the rightfully refreshing approach to casual dining out that I want to see.
Considerations. Takeaway not available and booking most definitely advisable. The cheesecake jars are great but huge. I tried one last Tuesday and finished it on Thursday.
My advisory order. 5 Buffalo wings with 3 Korean sesame cauli sides. Fries. Slaw. One or two pickled onions. Swash down with whatever bouncy IPA that takes your fancy. Take the chance to sample several. If your driving, most recently I had the Clear Head IPA from Bristol Brewing Co, which actually did more than the job I expected ~(low beers still something I’m getting to grips with, but for wings and for me, an IPA zing is pretty much required). Succumb to that nostalgic whimper and allow yourself that minimilk and travel home one happy camper.
Get in and get some wings.
Fryer Tucks Chicken Wing Emporium - 43 Eastover, Bridgwater, Somerset, UK