By KT Leong
I recently got to visit the Wing Zone branch in Greentown with some colleagues. As Wing Zone is halal, it was a rare opportunity for me to invite my Malay colleagues.
Now, let me get this out of the way first. Yes, I really enjoyed my meal there. Which is why I’m putting in some extra effort into this review and we’re going to do things a little differently.
First, we’re going to talk about some of the food my colleagues and I sampled at Wing Zone, but after that, I want to talk a bit about what sets them apart from the usual dining establishment.
So without further ado, let’s talk about the food first.
Chicken Wings
The signature item of Wing Zone. Wing Zone is a “cook-to-order” joint. The flavours are rubbed into the wings AFTER you make your order. So it’s NOT like a fast food place where the food’s already been pre-cooked and has been sitting there for hours. As a result, not only are the wings that arrive at your table freshly cooked and extra tasty, but they come in a variety of flavours. We tried out 3 different flavours of wings.
Wings w/ Ranch Dressing (non-spicy)
I really liked this one. Simple yet effective. It was mildly salty with herbs rubbed onto a crispy skin. The dressing was neither thick nor overwhelming, so you really get to taste the wings.
Wings w/ Smoking Q (moderately spicy)
A bit sweet. The spiciness doesn’t come with the first bite but as an aftertaste. My colleagues liked this one best, although I prefer the basic Wings w/ Ranch Dressing myself.
Wings w/ Soul of Seoul (spicy)
The Soul of Seoul sauce has a bit of a homemade ketchup taste for me. Like the Smoking Q, the spiciness doesn’t hit until later. It’s got a bit of a lingering burn. A little bit hot for me as I don’t usually take any spicy food at all, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Weirdly, this one knocked out my colleagues!
Colossal Burger w/ Chipotle BBQ (non-spicy)
A 10 oz burger, we split this 3 ways. A great item in terms of value for money or as a personal challenge. It’s a chicken burger where the huge chicken chop burger is tender with a crispy edge. While I enjoyed the flavour of Chipotle BBQ, I think I would have preferred to pair it with another flavour. This is one of the advantages of Wing Zone though. You can have an absolutely huge selection of food and flavour pairing to choose from. I would definitely order this one again, as I’m very value for money minded and this was certainly worth the price.
Beef Tortilla w/ Smoking Q (non-spicy)
I have a confession to make. This was my favourite item. Moreso than the signature wings.
I love wraps. I’ve eaten a number over the years. I don’t order them as much anymore because they always seem to be less value when compared to other items on a given menu. But the Beef Tortilla at Wing Zone is absolutely worth it.
First thing’s first is how beefy it tasted. The mince meat at some other places taste like “mystery meat”, but at Wing Zone, it is definitely beef! I love that savoury earthiness of beef and the wrap they use is just perfect. Very structurally firm, yet easily devoured. Even when I reached the last bite, where it’s mostly just the wrap and a bit of beef, it was still delicious and texturally pleasant. The tortilla stayed together fantastically while I bit hearty chunks out of it, and the sweet Smoking Q sauce was the perfect pairing for me as it simply enhanced the flavour of the tortilla. I wish I didn’t have to share this one with my colleagues!
Potato Wedges, Chips and Re-Fills, Oh My!
The burgers come with sides of thick, chunky potato wedges. While the tortilla comes with wonderfully folded chips that are crispy and have the texture of wedged potato chips. Both are great sides.
On top of that, drinks are re-fillable.
If you’re looking for great food at great value, you should check out any one of Wing Zone’s three outlets (details below). Now is probably the best time, as Ramadhan is just around the corner and they’re running an Iftar Ramadhan Special.
Now that the food review portion is done, I hope you’ll indulge me while I talk about what makes Wing Zone stand out for me and why I enjoyed myself while there. If you just want to know their locations, then kindly skip to the bottom of this article.
So without further ado, here are 2 Pros & 1 Con of Wing Zone;
Pro: How is the Value for Money?
I was born and raised in Ipoh. So a food’s value for money is a big thing for me. For me, a food’s value is determined by its tastiness, the portion, how filling it is and the quality of the ingredients.
Wing Zone is definitely tasty, and the ingredients are fresh and imported, so I can see where my money goes. The thing that surprised me while eating there was that I was able to fill up quite quickly, after eating only a few pieces. Coupled with the size of their portions, especially for the Colossal Burger, I really feel like it was worth the price, especially in the current economic climate, where a simple bowl of noodles with barely anything inside can cost RM7 or more!
When you feel like you’re getting value for your food’s price, it enhances your enjoyment of the dining experience.
Pro: What about the Environment?
When I say environment, I don’t just mean the main dining area. Of course, it’s a very comfy setup. But the customer service as well. We were served by Syamal, who I assume is a supervisor. Of course, she was very patient as we perused the menu and considered her recommendations. But she knew we were from Ipoh Echo. The question is, do the staff at Wing Zone provide the same level of service to all other customers? The answer is of course, yes. Because while there, I observed Syamal’s interactions with other customers, and as she was with us, she was friendly yet professional. This went for the other staff as well.
On top of that, I took a look at the washroom and I’m happy to report that the one at Wing Zone’s Greentown branch, is well maintained and that I would use it if I had to. I’ve been to some truly terrible washrooms over the years, but this one was good.
Baby chairs are also available.
Con: Wait, they have that!?
For me, the problem with Wing Zone, is the lack of publicity. I know, I know. What am I saying? What kind of “problem” am I talking about?
Well, I mentioned that I brought along a couple of colleagues to sample the food. However, I actually invited another colleague. But she didn’t eat chicken. So I searched their site at https://wingzone.com.my/ and it didn’t seem like they have much of a vegetarian option. Even their Salad section emphasised that they come with chicken. So regretably, my colleague couldn’t join us.
It wasn’t until we got there and started perusing the menu that we found out that there’s actually a robust vegetarian selection there. Aside from the salads and sides like wedges and chips, there are vegetarian sets of rice and veggies. There’s even a veggie burger available (not an impossible burger though).
In closing
I’m not supposed to mention other establishments. But let me just say that in terms of value for money, environment and so forth, I personally think Wing Zone has the best balance out of all the “usual suspects”.
Locations:
Meru Raya
Petronas Lebuh Meru Raya
Susuran Meru Raya,
Bandar Meru Raya
30030 Ipoh, Perak
Ipoh
20 Persiaran Greentown 1,
Greentown Business Center,
30450 Ipoh, Perak
Kampar
2251 Jalan Batu Sinar
Taman Bandar Baru Kampar
31200 Kampar, Perak
