Nandos - what would you like sir?

[ambuletz]

ate a chicken salad there once as a main, i was quite suprised at how much it did fill me up.

[Trabi601]

AndStilliRise said:

One of the (strange) appeals is that you often see the Nando's staff eating in a corner. I guess if you work there all day and then eat it, must show that it is regarded reasonably healthy and well prepared.

Chicken salads are quite often a side order, usually very nice.

You know most fast food outlets provide either free or very heavily subsidised meals for staff, don't you?

Do you apply the same rule to McDonald's, too?

[ambuletz]

nothing wrong with them either.

[blueg33]

I have now been to Nando's twice. Its enough. Do they not know how to serve food at a decent temperature. Luke warm chicken and chips does not feature on my list of "things I would like to eat"

[talksthetorque]

blueg33 said:

I have now been to Nando's twice. Its enough. Do they not know how to serve food at a decent temperature. Luke warm chicken and chips does not feature on my list of "things I would like to eat"

I've been to various Nando's- about 8-10 times in total. Lunch when working out and about.
I walked in to one that is close to a cinema when it was half term and there were about 20 plates sat on the pass. I walked out again. It wasn't even 3/4 full
Every meal I have had in other Nando's has been served hot.

[blueg33]

talksthetorque said:

blueg33 said:

I have now been to Nando's twice. Its enough. Do they not know how to serve food at a decent temperature. Luke warm chicken and chips does not feature on my list of "things I would like to eat"

I've been to various Nando's- about 8-10 times in total. Lunch when working out and about.
I walked in to one that is close to a cinema when it was half term and there were about 20 plates sat on the pass. I walked out again. It wasn't even 3/4 full
Every meal I have had in other Nando's has been served hot.

Just realised I have been 3 times but in each case the food wasn't hot. Offending establishments are: Carlisle, Wolverhampton and Cheltenham

[talksthetorque]

blueg33 said:

talksthetorque said:

blueg33 said:

I have now been to Nando's twice. Its enough. Do they not know how to serve food at a decent temperature. Luke warm chicken and chips does not feature on my list of "things I would like to eat"

I've been to various Nando's- about 8-10 times in total. Lunch when working out and about.
I walked in to one that is close to a cinema when it was half term and there were about 20 plates sat on the pass. I walked out again. It wasn't even 3/4 full
Every meal I have had in other Nando's has been served hot.

Just realised I have been 3 times but in each case the food wasn't hot. Offending establishments are: Carlisle, Wolverhampton and Cheltenham

That's the trouble with anecdotal evidence I guess.

[truck71]

blueg33 said:

I have now been to Nando's twice. Its enough. Do they not know how to serve food at a decent temperature. Luke warm chicken and chips does not feature on my list of "things I would like to eat"

Fills me full of anticipation for tomorrow's experimental visit to the local one in Chiswick.

[blueg33]

talksthetorque said:

That's the trouble with anecdotal evidence I guess.

Indeed, but I have no plans to visit all Nando "restaurants" (I use the term advisedly) with a food thermometer and a laptop running a statistics algorithm, followed by a peer reviewed 50,000 word paper to be published in The Lancet, New Scientist and Playboy.

Anecdotal, based on my visits will have to do

[C70R]

ambuletz said:

I mean, isn't the point of this topic to say what your typical order is? yet its turned into people coming and saying 'err no, horrible vile food, totally beneath me'

imagine - if you will - someone making a steak thread on how do you like your steak and several people came in and said 'err no, vile, meat is disgusting and its cruel, don't understand how people can eat the stuff, gruesome and sickening eating a dead animal' between the few people who actualy say how they liked it cooked.

They don't understand it.
The 'looking down nose' committee would rather just tell everyone how much they are above eating at somewhere like Nando's. I hope it makes them feel better.

[FiF]

So easy.

[JLC25]

AndStilliRise said:

One of the (strange) appeals is that you often see the Nando's staff eating in a corner. I guess if you work there all day and then eat it, must show that it is regarded reasonably healthy and well prepared.

Chicken salads are quite often a side order, usually very nice.

Previous employee (10 years ago) of Nandos. The food was looked after very well, chicken does NOT come in pre cooked, only pre marinated. It was also only half Spatch-cocked, part of my morning set up involved finishing that off. They then go into an oven (not all at once!), then onto the grill. Burgers just go on the grill.

Chicken itself is one stop above treatment of fast food chicken. Barn not battery. Not free range though. Only thing I would suggest is not to be the first person through the door at lunch. Occasionally some chicken that's not grilled is re used. It goes into the fridge, fat is taken off in the morning, back in oven then ready for grill. Tastes 80% the same but is certainly dryer.

[AndStilliRise]

JLC25 said:

AndStilliRise said:

One of the (strange) appeals is that you often see the Nando's staff eating in a corner. I guess if you work there all day and then eat it, must show that it is regarded reasonably healthy and well prepared.

Chicken salads are quite often a side order, usually very nice.

Previous employee (10 years ago) of Nandos. The food was looked after very well, chicken does NOT come in pre cooked, only pre marinated. It was also only half Spatch-cocked, part of my morning set up involved finishing that off. They then go into an oven (not all at once!), then onto the grill. Burgers just go on the grill.

Chicken itself is one stop above treatment of fast food chicken. Barn not battery. Not free range though. Only thing I would suggest is not to be the first person through the door at lunch. Occasionally some chicken that's not grilled is re used. It goes into the fridge, fat is taken off in the morning, back in oven then ready for grill. Tastes 80% the same but is certainly dryer.

Thanks for the information. Could you tell me why however (as pointed out) the food is never hot, luke warm. One of the reasons why the takeaway tastes awful as when you get it home, the chips are soggy and the chicken is cold. Always better to eat it there.

[vsonix]

jontysafe said:

justinio said:

Nothing for me thanks. Awful place serving over priced awful food.

This, this and THRICE THIS!

I went once and I don't think it's possible to be more underwhelmed and over charged. I just don't get it.

When they first opened in the UK and only had a few locations the food was actually pretty nice, which went some way to justifying the slightly excessive cost. The chicken was properly grilled for a start, the skin was crispy and it had a proper flame grilled taste. However the last few times I've been (maybe once every three years - sometimes it's the best of a poor selection), different location every time, the chicken has been under-done as if the people who are in charge of the grill have never actually learned to cook over fire properly, or are just too badly paid to care. It's cooked through, I assume they par-steam it or something, but the skin is all floppy, there's barely any sear marks from the grill... it's just ste! It seems to me like they pulled out all the stops with the first wave of openings in order to build up a good name for themselves and have worked out that 90% of their returning clientele can't taste the difference and so it's pointless bothering to turn out a decent product. Shame, but then I get the feeling almost all franchise restaurants operate the same way. I went to 'Jamie's Italian' for the first time a while ago and it seemed like an exercise in culinary hubris.

[vsonix]

JLC25 said:

Previous employee (10 years ago) of Nandos. The food was looked after very well, chicken does NOT come in pre cooked, only pre marinated. It was also only half Spatch-cocked, part of my morning set up involved finishing that off. They then go into an oven (not all at once!), then onto the grill. Burgers just go on the grill.

Chicken itself is one stop above treatment of fast food chicken. Barn not battery. Not free range though. Only thing I would suggest is not to be the first person through the door at lunch. Occasionally some chicken that's not grilled is re used. It goes into the fridge, fat is taken off in the morning, back in oven then ready for grill. Tastes 80% the same but is certainly dryer.

Do you reckon it's still like that now? As I mentioned in my post above, the first time I tried Nandos I remember finding it good. But subsequent visits in recent years have been really disappointing.

[JLC25]

AndStilliRise said:

Thanks for the information. Could you tell me why however (as pointed out) the food is never hot, luke warm. One of the reasons why the takeaway tastes awful as when you get it home, the chips are soggy and the chicken is cold. Always better to eat it there.

The chips are never piping hot for some reason, even though I burnt myself on the fryer 100000000 times. They only started takeaway as I was *ahem* leaving. But the bags didn't look well insulated and a bit of a grease trap tbh. I often wonder if the low temperature of the heat-lamps was too make sure it wasn't too hot so they could turn around tables quicker.

vsonix said:

When they first opened in the UK and only had a few locations the food was actually pretty nice, which went some way to justifying the slightly excessive cost. The chicken was properly grilled for a start, the skin was crispy and it had a proper flame grilled taste. However the last few times I've been (maybe once every three years - sometimes it's the best of a poor selection), different location every time, the chicken has been under-done as if the people who are in charge of the grill have never actually learned to cook over fire properly, or are just too badly paid to care. It's cooked through, I assume they par-steam it or something, but the skin is all floppy, there's barely any sear marks from the grill... it's just ste! It seems to me like they pulled out all the stops with the first wave of openings in order to build up a good name for themselves and have worked out that 90% of their returning clientele can't taste the difference and so it's pointless bothering to turn out a decent product. Shame, but then I get the feeling almost all franchise restaurants operate the same way. I went to 'Jamie's Italian' for the first time a while ago and it seemed like an exercise in culinary hubris.

Problem with Franchises is the people who own them. Some of the ones around me in Surrey are actually very, very good. There is a "Standard" way to cook, but probably takes longer than just heating it on the grill!

Edited by JLC25 on Wednesday 24th May 18:01

[zygalski]

So it serves cheap, good value, sometimes hot food.

[FiF]

zygalski said:

So it serves cheap, good value, sometimes hot food.

Which people may or may not like depending upon their personal taste. But if they don't like it that is only because they are pretentious snobs.

Does that provide an executive summary of the thread?

[menguin]

I love the finer things in life. I often frequent extremely good restaurants. I also sometimes want to gorge on nando's.

I'm travelling with work at the moment - about to pick up a 1/4 chicken, peri fries and garlic bread. £7.34. That is the same price as a McDonald's meal - nando's is massively superior to that as far as I'm concerned!

[ambuletz]

menguin said:

I love the finer things in life. I often frequent extremely good restaurants. I also sometimes want to gorge on nando's.

I'm travelling with work at the moment - about to pick up a 1/4 chicken, peri fries and garlic bread. £7.34. That is the same price as a McDonald's meal - nando's is massively superior to that as far as I'm concerned!

exactly. it's the same price as one of the McDs premium meals in large. or the same as a meal at BK (that isn't an ordinary whopper meal or those crap cheap meals). The box large box meals in KFC are about the same price. and subway is £6 for a footlong sandwich