Atomic Clock Brewing Company

501 Washington St # A, Durham, NC 27701

Sauce: Sweet/Salty Fish Sauce Glaze with Cilantro & Mint | Order Size: 8 | Price: $16

Meat Quality: 3/5 | Finish: 4.5/5 | Size: 5/5 | Uniqueness: 5/5 | Flavor: 1.5/5

Huh. These are some interesting wings. I think they were technically executed perfectly, but they were really not for me.

The wings, listed on the menu as “‘Pok Pok’ Whole Wings”, include a fish sauce glaze and are topped with chopped herbs. According to this blog post I found, they’re a delicacy made famous in Portland, OR at a restaurant called Pok Pok. This Thai restaurant had national acclaim including numerous James Beard awards before it permanently closed in 2020. I love the continuously growing food scene in Durham and that we’re getting new restaurants and breweries influenced by these other cities across the country. If you’d previously been to Portland before 2020 and are looking to get a hit of nostalgia for Pok Pok, maybe Atomic Clock has just what you’re looking for! Unfortunately for me, these wings were not what I was looking for.

The wings are huge and somewhat unruly—largely because they are left as a whole wing instead of being divided into flats and drumettes like many other establishments prepare wings. Often times leaving wings whole provides a deeper flavor, but I don’t think the juice was worth the squeeze this time. They were difficult to eat without getting the glaze all over your face and hands, and the glaze itself was… well it was exactly what it’s labeled as: Sweet/Salty Fish Sauce. Something with the additional cilantro and mint made these wings taste like I was eating game meat that had been left out in a field of aromatic grass overnight.

I can certainly see how someone could really be looking for that unique flavor, but I just wasn’t. On the brightside, my review of these wings was during Atomic Clock Brewing’s grand opening so I got to take home a cool mug when I ordered their IPA! I’m glad Atomic Clock is in the neighborhood, but I don’t think I’ll be getting their wings again.