SINGAPORE — Our celebrities and food personalities love their chicken wings, but some of their favourites memories about the dish encompasses a lot more than just a well-cooked wing.

DENISE TAN, GOLD 90.5FM DJ

As host of the lunchtime showcase on Gold 90.5FM, Denise Tan also entreats Singapore’s foodies to chime on their favourite eats at the Makan Kakis blog (https://makankakiswithdenise.wordpress.com/). But for Tan, memories of one of her favourite places for chicken wings takes her back more than a decade. “The ones from Ice Cold Beer at Emerald Hill really takes me back to the day (early 2000), when my friends and I would go almost every week after work to relax, unwind and gorge on beer and bar snacks. The thing about beer is it always makes you hungry and the more of the wings you ate, the more you’d drink — good times! So after years, we recently went on my birthday for old times’ sake and, my goodness, the wings are as good as I remember. Fresh, hot, juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, heavily seasoned (just the way I like it) with a hint of prawn paste. We demolished three baskets of these wings that night. I guess with these wings, it’s as much about taste as it is about memories.”

WILLIN LOW, CHEF-OWNER OF WILD ROCKET

This chef’s love for eating is almost as renowned as his culinary achievements. And while he loves his hawker barbecue chicken wings as much as the next guy, this Mod-Sin cuisine pioneer’s favourites are the Chicken Wings alla Diavolla from Pizzeria Mozza. “These are more savoury than sweet but simply yet beautifully seasoned. They are grilled with a slight char and served with charred spring onion and a lemon wedge; the acidity, umami (of the chicken skin) and spring onions are a match made in heaven.”

YASMINNE CHENG, CLASS 95FM DJ

The host of Lunchbreak on Class 95FM has a svelte figure that belies her love for food; among others, Korean fried chicken wings from Yogiyo Chicken at My Village @ Serangoon Garden. “I love the maximum spicy (Fire Hot) ones — it’s super shiok! The fried drumlets and wings are tender on the inside, crisp on the outside and slathered with a good dose of its special sauce and a dusting of chilli powder. It’s so spicy that my nose starts to drool but so tasty, I can’t stop. So it is bite into chicken, chew, wipe nose and repeat.”

VIOLET OON, CHEF-OWNER OF VIOLET OON SINGAPORE

This Singapore food ambassador loves deep fried chicken wings, especially when they are covered with a batter. She has even fashioned her version of deep-fried chicken wings at her restaurant, with turmeric and lemon grass undertones that is crispy on the outside and tender inside and served with a chinchalok chilli dipping sauce. But she still loves her barbecue chicken wings, especially “those that are grilled vertically like in a multi-storey building”. “I used to eat lots of them until I got older ... One favourite place to get them is at Blk 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, (at) a favourite hawker centre of mine, which has undergone a renovation. But I love the (accompanying) hot and sour chilli sauce, and the whole cut limau kasturi (calamansi) that is a staple with this dish. Another favourite place for these is East Coast Lagoon Food Village — the aroma of the chicken wings being cooked seems to be the perfect match for the salty sea air.”

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