Nando’s

I love Nando’s!
I used to eat a lot of Nando’s in Melbourne. Every Nando’s branch is allllllways packed. It’s a really popular restaurant in Australia.
When I came to Singapore, I was surprised that they have Nando’s here too. But the ones here are kinda. Dead-​ish. I thought why aren’t there a lot of people? Maybe only the ones I’ve seen but it’s just not as packed as in Melbs. I decided to give it a try.
So I only ordered mild 3 chicken wings on the «Appateasers» section. I thought it was good! I was really liking the flavor. But what was it Melbourne that was better? I think it was the chicken.
Oh, the service here was fine. The staffs were attentive, as there were very little people. But the waiter who was asking my order had to ask me 3 times whether it was 3 chicken wings that I wanted or not. After he had taken my order, he was just walking back and forth because he had nothing to do. Shortly after that the other staffs were talking so loudly to each other right Infront of me while I was enjoying my lunch. It was a bit distracting.

I was given a Mild instead of what i ordered, lemon and herbs, then my friend was given Hot instead of Mild, and ¼ portion seems became smaller but still the best peri peri in town!

I first heard about Nando’s from an online friend from UK who’s a fan of this franchise. She kept asking me if I have ever tried those «Peri Peri» chickens in the Singapore outlets. Unfortunately at that point of time, Nando’s was still not Halal-​certified here. Odd that the UK’s one she frequented was already Halal.
Anyways, I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of Portuguese food. But I still decided to give this one a try… Have to say, they’re still not convincing to me. Haha!
But I really do need to compliment on the variety of the food. Liked that we can choose the level of spiciness of the chickens. I chose chicken wraps. My colleague who’s a spicy-​freak ordered ‘Extra Hot’ for her chickens with two servings of spicy rice as both her sides. *shakes head*
What really amazed me was the shelf that held all the different sauces. We chose the Extra Hot and Wild Herb sauces. They all had that tangy taste to me… I don’t know. At some point of my meal, I’d really wished they whipped up a bottle of Maggie Chili sauce for me.

Had to wait 1hr for the food. Holy cow… the waiters and waitresses don’t really give a damn.

Nandos’s! I came to Nando’s for the first time about 6 months ago and was super impressed with this place. Well, the chicken at least. It’s drenched in this secret concoction known as peri-​peri sauce and depending on the spice level, has a sort of kick I can only describe as a «mouth watering delectable sensation». I find it a bit pricey for what it is and when it’s busy, the staff looks a bit flustered and dining in can take FOREVER… like seriously, ETERNITY. I’ve noticed this at about three locations. One more thing, I asked for ice water and the waitstaff looked at me puzzled, initially. He then came back and said they didn’t offer ice water… Soooo 4 stars for the food and the 3 stars for service. Anyways, if you have hours to kill then come and enjoy the food.

Needed to buy something from Daiso and dunno where to go for food… We happened to park at Nando’s level so in we went.
Kid’s Set Meal — I must commend their efforts to have a engaging children’s menu where the little ones can exercise some choice over their set meal. So my girls got busy trying to make up their own meal.
Mushroom Chicken Soup — the soup is very flavourful as it not only has the essence of mushrooms but also the extra boost of chicken soup. My girls were fighting to drink it!
Naan with Hummus — hubby likes this. I’m not a fan.
Grilled Quarter Chicken — with was well-​marinated and good to be eaten without extra sauce. I had mine with Merttertainern Rice and Coleslaw. Both sides were pretty good.
We will definitely return again. :)

I remember hearing about this place from the colleagues at my old job. They kept raving about this Portuguese chicken place and I was all, «What is this special European style bird that you speak of?» Finally, after Miguel and I were racking our brains to find an easily accessible place for weeknight dinners, I suggested visiting the fabled Nando’s in Plaza Sing. We gave it a try and the rest is history!
Sometimes the queue can be a bit ridiculous around 7:30 but again, exercise some patience and you’re usually seated in 20 minutes or less. Also, the space is bigger than you think; there are more tables behind the drinks area!
We’re a simple couple so we both order the ¼ peri-​peri chicken with the mild sauce and 2 sides. The mild sauce has a very small kick to it, but it’s quite bearable. What’s great about Nando’s is that they have all the different sauces in bottles that are accessible to everyone, so you can definitely drown your chicken in more sauce if you’d like. I actually recommend this, as I find the chicken a tad bit dry.
Miguel has a crazy metabolism and orders 2 sides of rice, while I usually order corn on the cob and one side of rice. The service is pretty quick, not super friendly but better than most. Price wise, it’s very affordable so both of us are happy campers. Overall, it’s a great casual spot for those who are looking for other Western style food besides the typical American or Italian.

I have fond memories of Nando’s when living in Canada as I would have the chicken over rice or chicken pita a few times a month.
Unfortunately as with many franchises hitting Singapore’s fair shores, not many can actually replicate the exact taste of the food. Nando’s is in the hit and miss category.
The quarter chicken was very nicely grilled in the rotisserie, with pretty tender meat. At least it was not dried out but I would not say it was juicy and succulent.
The sides were a huge disappointment. I asked about the difference between the Mediterranean and spicy rice. The server was not able to tell me much and when I asked which would she recommended, she suggested the Mediterranean rice. I went with that. It turned out to be just rice with corns and peas, looked like those from the frozen package. Wrong choice.
I also ordered the spinach which was described as afro-​portuguese style with tomatoes and onions. It turned out to be very oily and tasteless. With such not so appetizing sides, I decided to add an order of wedges, only to be told it was not available. I had the fries instead and that turned out to be the nicest item on the menu. It was warm and crispy when it arrived at my table.
The service was rather hit and miss too. Some servers were more attentive and others were just standing there, looking at anything and everything except the diners.
Will I be back? Most likely not, unless there was no other option. The food and service were not that outstanding enough to grant a frequent repeat visit. Oh and if you want the various peri-​peri sauces, you gotta get it yourself.