Nando’s – W1U 6RS
One of the biggest mysteries of the food industry is the origin of Nando’s, is the brand Portuguese or South African. Founded in 1987, the brand has elements that have been implemented into British culture such as the term to have a Cheeky Nando’s and Fantoke which is a mixture of Fanta and Coke. The brand has changed the game of advertising and marketing through their clever use of social media websites such as Instagram.
I visited this Nando’s a while back with some colleagues as they fancied a bite which was slightly more upmarket than a take-away from a fast-food franchise such as a KFC. We entered the restaurant with the iconic black and red shop front and were immediately welcomed by a staff member who took us downstairs, the ambience was incredible. A good variety of colours and wooden pieces accompanied with a range of lighting and a samba/salsa theme of music gave an incredible and unique vibe to the restaurant. There were no large menu screens by the counter, simply a laminated leaflet with all the options available to the consumer. I made sure before ordering that I remembered our table number, one of the biggest sins you could commit when eating in at Nando’s.
Furthermore, after scanning the menu, I went for my usual order of a Butterfly Chicken Breast Burger which consisted on two marinated chicken breast patties, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise with garlic bread and Peri salted fries, I opted for bottomless free water so the total came to £13.25. Secondly, we sat back down and waited approximately 10-15 minutes for the meal to arrive. The main event, the burger was on the smaller scale, the 2 patties were slightly hidden under the bread, with more lettuce and tomato visible. The chicken was juicy, tender and had a good spicy flavour to it, however the ciabatta style bun was dry and as hard as a rock, honestly it was awful. The Peri salted fried were delicious, medium cut and had fantastic flavour. Finally, the garlic bread had similar textures to the burger bun, it was dry, tasted like it was out of date, however the garlic flavouring was excellent and the mayonnaise in the burger was nothing special.
In summary, the environment and interior of Nando’s has always been one of the best and the brand has truly mastered the art of the casual dining sector. Personally, I have felt that the brand has looked to cut costs in regard to the portion sizes as observed by my experience today. If you solely judge the food, the quality was high, however the size was not and I think that this is something we have to accept as Nando’s is one of the biggest food brands in the U.K. and this is the price we have to pay. Would I come here again? Only if I was forced by my friends, but I wouldn’t go out of my way based on the burger.
Review – Nando’s
Burger Size – 1.5/5
Sauce – 2/5
Taste – 3/5
Bun – 1/5
Environment/Interior – 4.5/5
Burger-Boy 