An Irish Pub in London (in a Church) with Wings Hotter than Hell

Would you believe there’s an Irish pub in London (in a church) with wings hotter than hell?

Yes, Sunny friends, it’s true. But, before you read further, you need to know this pub review almost put Mr Sunny in the grave. I never thought there would be a day that a plate of chicken wings would cause my husband eternal pain. But, here’s the true story.

I’d like to say it was a typical glorious sunny day in London, but that isn’t the case. It was an overcast Saturday, and Mr. Sunny and I had a problem. We planned to use the City River Cruise tickets his father won to spend a nice day together in Central London. With the not so fabulous weather, I asked Mr. Sunny to come up with something closer to us in North London that was ‘extra blog cool’ and inside.

Now, when you ask a self-proclaimed pub expert to do this, you are guaranteed you’ll end up in a pub in London. I knew this was part of being Mrs. Sunny when I let him put a ring on it. However, neither of us dreamed our day would end in damnation.

If only this Irish pub in London had a warning sign like this outside:

That’s right. Mr. Sunny took me to O’Neill’s in Muswell Hill. O’Neill’s is a chain of Irish pubs in London.

Apparently, this location is very popular with proper Londoners, especially those residing in North London.

When I stepped inside, I had one of those ‘now I’ve seen everything’ moments. It really is an Irish pub in London inside a church!

I became a believer.

The next thought I had was, ‘leave it to the Irish to make drinking beer a truly religious experience.’

As I stood at the top of a staircase to view all the beer disciples, I could see why Mr. Sunny ‘the God of beer’ brought me here.

Since Six Nations Rugby 2015 is happening, this Irish pub in London is decorated accordingly.

I grabbed our drinks at the bar (Stella beer and red wine, of course) and sat down to review the menu with Mr. Sunny.

It’s impressive. The prices are fair, and there’s a variety of pub food available. Catching Mr. Sunny’s attention is the disclaimer under the Naga Ghost Chilli selection.

I didn’t see it.

My wing knowledge is fairly established since I lived in Buffalo, New York for 10 years. Since Mr. Sunny absolutely loves chicken wings, we frequented the Anchor Bar, ‘Home of Original Buffalo Wings’ when he visited. Each time he ordered their hottest wings and wasn’t affected.

Until this visit to O’Neill’s, I had never heard of a ghost chilli. Hot damn!

As we waited for our food, gorgeous platters whizzed by us. I was able to snap a super fast picture of one so you could see the temptations.

Doesn’t that look divine?

And then, Hallelujah, the food we ordered arrived!

We started to dig in. Here’s a heavenly shot of my Cheese and Bacon Burger. Can I get an ‘Amen?’

Mr. Sunny made me take pictures of his ribs super fast because he said he wasn’t ‘eating anything cold from the blog today’. He had no idea how right he was. 😉

Since I’ve never eaten a rib in my life, Mr Sunny didn’t have to worry about giving up one to his Eve. (I’m not a fan of messy food you eat with your hands. No moist towelettes for this girl!)

As I munched away on my beautiful bacon burger, I noticed Mr. Sunny starting to sweat. This Irish pub in London with a Garden of Eden facade quickly became a hellish nightmare. The ghost chilli is no phantom on the plate. Here’s a shot of the damn heathens…

While they may photograph as harmless little buggers, these devils brought my husband to his knees.

As I watched the sweat pouring from Mr. Sunny’s forehead I wished I had brought my grandfather’s treasured rosary. Mr Sunny was in dire need of holy water and a ghost chilli exorcism.

I looked above to the heavens for help while saying a Hail Mary as he struggled to finish. Would this be my husband’s Last Supper? Would he survive the Temple of Doom?

And by the powers vested in me, I now pronouce Mr. Sunny the King of the Ghost Chilli wing. He finished all 20 of them!

Quotes from Mr. Sunny at O’Neill’s Irish Pub in London:

– ‘I think I should take my jacket off.’
– ‘I should have ordered the sauce below.’
– ‘My tongue is throbbing and numb.’
– ‘Do you want that lettuce? I need something to lay on my tongue to cool it.’
– ‘I have no feeling in my head.’
– ‘I will not be defeated.’
– ‘Pain is my friend.’
– ‘I’ve now broken the pain barrier and am comfortably numb.’
– ‘I want a cigarette just to see if I have any taste buds left.’

And finally…

– ‘I’m dreading tomorrow morning.’

Just when I thought Mr. Sunny was losing his food champion status, I had an epiphany later that night…

Miraculously an episode of Man vs. Food that featured ghost chilli aired that evening. The show referenced the Scoville Scale, which is the measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chilli peppers. Jalapenos register at 8,000 units. The ghost chilli registers at 1 million units.

The host, Adam Richman, failed his first ghost chilli challenge. In the episode which features his second attempt his finishing quotation is, ‘Can I have some more milk? Or a gun with a bullet?’

I’m going to say that this experience was a Man vs. God experience for Mr. Sunny. And, in my opinion, he deserves a damn halo. In fact, the next time we visit O’Neill’s Irish pub in London, I don’t want to hear someone yell ‘Norm!’, I want to hear God yell, ‘Mr. Sunny!!!!’

To take the ghost chill chicken wing challenge, visit O’Neills Muswell Hill Pub. This road to perdition’s address is: 87 Muswell Hill Broadway, Muswell Hill, London, N10 3HA.

* Confession: *hand on Bible* I, Sunny in London, do solemnly swear that the story above is true. No details are embellished.  The experience was not complimentary. However, should anyone choose to nominate Mr. Sunny for Sainthood, he will gladly accept.

If you’re not ready to go for the holy chicken wing grail at this Irish pub in London, you can see other hot pub crawls and reviews featured on Sunny in London. Mr. Sunny and his father also highly recommend The Good Pub Guide. American readers can find it here. What other pubs in London do you recommend? Have you ever taken a ‘food challenge’ before?