Whilst this assessment relates to the branch of Nando's in Southend-on-sea, the quality of food has always appeared to me to be consistent across branches, so my some of my comments are general, and some branch specific.
I have eaten several times in Nando's both lunch and dinner. The one near where I live in North London is so busy in the evenings, particularly weekend, that they usually have a queue, and my wife will not queue for Nando's so it is pot luck if we get in. This time we went early on a Sunday lunchtime (about 1230) which was just as well, because an hour later, the place was even more packed, and we would have had to wait. What makes this establishment so popular, in my opinion, it that it delivers an excellent product at a realistic price. This is also its undoing, and in North London, the branches can become a bit over-run with teenagers who will find that this provides an eating out experience within their budget.
There is a very interesting article about Nando's on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nando%27s . I had always assumed that Piri Piri chicken was Portuguese, and the fact that the emblem cockerel that abounds in the restaurants was saying that too, but I was wrong. Nando's is South African, and the piri piri comes from Mozambique (makes sense) and is named after the African bird's eye chili. So now you know.
If you did not know, Nando's is in the business of selling chicken. To satisfy those who do not want fowl, there are vegetarian options, but not a huge amount. You can see the menu at www.nandos.co.uk . If there is anyone unfamiliar, the idea is that you choose your quantity of piri piri chicken, and then how hot it should be.(I went for hot, which is in the middle). There are a limited number of side orders, mainly French Fries, and a simple drinks menu. You order at a cash desk, resist the propositions to add to your meal, pay up-front, and wait. I was devastated to find that my loyalty card had expired, and the promise of a free quarter of chicken evaporated.
We ordered a platter of hot spiced piri piri with a sides of cole slaw and fries.
Sorry about the angle of the photograph, but take it from me that there was more than enough chicken and sides for two. I have always found the quality of the chicken at Nando's to be excellent. I don't know how they do it. There was more than enough for the two of us. The chicken was hot enough (7.9 on the CHOF scale), but Mrs Northlondoner thought the chips could have been hotter. The web site give a little insight into the sourcing of the food, but on the whole, I would say it was better than the somewhat anonymous unidentifiable portions of KFC.
We did not partake of desert. Drinks are about average price, and if you have soft drinks it is help youself.
Whilst the platters are brought to your table, everything else is help yourself, so you get your own utensils, piri piri sauce and condiments. I have to say that the staff who did serve and help were the epitome of politeness and helpfulness. Considering there was no direct service charge, this attests to the quality of the business. (There was a box for tips on the counter just where the orders are being taken. This was chained down, and one can only guess they did this in the light of a bad experience) This is not silver service, but it is not what the average client wants.
The decor of the restaurants is what could be described as Garish Ethnic, and I understand that the art if South African in origin.
So all in all, I give a very big thumbs up for Nando's as does the rest of my family including the vegetarian. It is exactly what it says it is, and the price is extremely reasonable. Lunch for four including drinks but no desert came to £44 and pennies. I am still looking for a branch of Los Pollos Hermanos.
No comments:
Post a Comment