THE BISHOP & THE BELCHER ~ Toronto ON

A few weeks ago I found myself up in the Bloor/Yonge area and I was looking for a bite to eat. No I was looking for more than a bite to eat. I wasn't too sure where to go, but I did remember Wing Nation commentator Indianguy mentioning The Bishop and The Belcher and a good wing deal they have on Wednesdays. So I went to try it out.

I've actually been to the Bishop and the Belcher many times, but long ago. I remember it was always busy and had board games and trivia. But that was a different location (Queen Street) and I didn't know what to expect from the new place.

Outside was an exciting sign suggesting it was a good night to go in.

Inside the place still had a great British pub feel. Lots of wood, lots of character. On my table was a wooden elephant lamp. Neat-o. There were lots of different seating areas and the place was packed.The crowd was a mix of young hipsters to old guys in business suits. Clearly they are doing something right that they appeal to different crowds and ages.

They still had board games and trivia. There was a clearly old Trivial Pursuit game. Can you answer these questions? Answers are at the end of the entry. Post in the comments your scores (be honest!) out of 6.

My waitress was (name unfortunately illegible in my notes), who was young but folksy, calling me 'hon' and 'love.'  She was friendly and while busy, kept checking in on me. I looked over the menu, but I was there for a specific reason after all.

Ya, that's right, 3lbs of wings for $8.95. But what kind of wings would they be?

This was a huge platter. About 30 wings. But I was up to the task. There above you is three pounds of wings.

More and more places are not including veggies and dips which for years have been the standard with wings. The Bishop on their wing night special did not have veggies, but it did have some excellent dip. Blue Cheese, and homemade to boot. It was very creamy, a little tangy, and while I am not one to normally dip my wings, I sure did on this occasion.

Sometimes on wing nights, places will skimp on the wing size, serving less than average wings. But the B&B served up some large wings. I was throughly impressed with the size. They were a medium meatiness - which was just right. The wings were also crispy, but there was very little sauce on them, which meant the chicken itself came through as well as the skin. Some people don't like saucy wings, so this would be great for them. Next time I would ask for extra sauce on the side.

Chipotle:

I went with two flavours for my wings: One half was chipotle the other half hot. By looking at the two sets of wings I couldn't tell which was which. And because these were extremely 'lightly sauced' I could only tell by taste test.

This was a nice chipotle wing. A little smokey tasting, a little bit of heat. I think if the sauce on these had been more it might have been too much.

Hot:

This was a classic Buffalo style wing. Crispy deep fried chicken wing tossed in a classic cayenne sauce.

These were just good. The hot sauce wasn't that hot, but the flavour was good. Again, I only wish there was more sauce!

FINAL SCORE: I really like the relocated The Bishop & The Belcher. The atmosphere is very relaxed, cozy but still still crowded. The service was friendly. And I got a lot of wings. Big, crispy wings. My personal taste dictates more sauce, but that can be remedied in the future. And a great homemade blue cheese dip - this was  a good wing experience. 7/10

The Bishop and the Belcher
175 Bloor Street East, Toronto, ON
bishopandbelcher.com


PS: Here are the answers . . .

How did you score?