subject: Nandos Menu Calories [print this page] i'd lik t b able t say tht th primary catalyst fr my trip t south africa ws my love f nando's. while this is nt th case, i still took this unique opportunity t visit s mny south african nando's branches s possible.
th first difference whih is immediately apparent is tht som branches offer service t th table. my experience ws tht this didn't appear t b based n hw busy branch ws, but merely hw willing th staff wre t accept table orders. if ordering t th till, th experience is almost identical t th uk. regardless f whether yu order th food t th table, waiter will still bring ver yur cutlery, napkins nd straw if required.
waiting fr yu whn yu gt t th table is selection f four sauces in handy stand complete with handle. th sauces usually wr garlic, lemon & herb, hot nd tomato nando's brand sauces. thse wer complemented by regular salt shaker n on side nd peri-salt n th thr. th peri-salt shaker ws perhaps th biggest highlight f south african nando's fr me, sinc in th uk w appear t hve ben conditioned int thinking it is acceptable t pay 10 pence fr dashing f paprika mixed with salt nd dry spices. s well s being charged fr th peri-salt, th amount offered n b highly variable, with sometimes it being barely visible, nd others th smothering too intense fr pleasure. pouring it n yourself certainly makes lot mor sense, nd given th free offering f unlimited amounts f peri-peri sauces, why n w nt hve th peri-salt free too? its meant t b prt f th nando's experience after ll, nd is also given free in usa, canada, australia nd cyprus t name few.
peri-salt rants aside, th wait fr food came next nd i always found it t b around 5-10 minutes regardless f hw busy th restaurant r hw big th order ws. this also included ll food fr u t six peole arriving t th same tim. aside frm vastly aiding tim estimates whn planning nando's meal, it is obvious tht maintaining steady average delivery tim is mor desirable thn th wildly varying times uk branches n take (anywhere frm 2 t 45 minutes in my experience). it also reduces th risk f being finished with meal bfor sme food even arrives - common issue whn visiting with groups f 6 r mre t home.
whn th food arrives it is n different crockery t th uk, nd apparently th same s tht whih is found in canada. my first meal consisted f burger, chips nd rice, but th rice ws soon dropped due t it nt being s nice s in th uk (though identical t th rice in usa nd cyprus branches). uk nando's seems t gt th rice just right, nd it is without doubt th aspect f visits in th uk whih i lok most forward t returning t. rather thn rice, in future meals i opted fr quarter chicken breast piece, whih ws substantially larger thn those in th uk, nd justifiable meal in its own right. ech burger also featured larger piece f breast fillet, nd it ws difficult nt t reminisce bout whn portions in th uk wr substantially larger thn thy r today. th fillet always filled th entire bun, nd thr ws therefore never any unwanted bread lng after th chicken hd ben eaten. i even tried chicken wrap n ne occasion nd it ws stuffed t th brim with tender chicken breast cubes - n rationing resulting in wrap largely composed f lettuce nd mayonnaise. s fr th fries, thy wer skinnier, similar in quantity t regular uk portion, nd always cooked t perfection (n undr cooking nd/r burnt fries lik in th uk).
n f th most important comparisons t mk is without doubt th n between th various sauces n offer. rather thn th four spice levels n offer in th uk (i won't count extra-extra hot sinc it is unavailable t th counter), thr re five levels: mediterranean, lemon & herb, mild, hot nd extra-hot. th jump frm mild t hot therefore seems bit sudden t seasoned uk veteran. medium lovers in th uk my b unsure whether t take th perceived step dwn t lemon & herb, r t break thrugh th psychological barrier t hot. luckily this wasn't n issue fr me, nd extra-hot ws s perpetually satisfying in south africa s it is in th uk, with th taste being almost identical.
probably th main question with regards t th food is did i prefer nando's in south africa t nando's in th uk? th answer is nt simple n, sinc finely prepared uk meal wuld b preferable t south african meal (mainly because f th rice). however th sheer numbr f variables in th uk means it wuld b difficult t recommend vr south africa, sinc n cn expect belw average meal just s much (if nt mor) s on n expect n exquisitely prepared example.
while eating ll this food, it ws necessary t find tim t take in th decoration n offer in ah branch. five f th six i went t wer near identical nd wht i wuld describe s distinctly 'nando's average'. th only exception ws t eastgate, johannesburg, whih hd sm interesting artwork nd designs n th walls. therefore in th decoration category, i wuld without doubt suggest uk nando's is better.
th final aspect t consider is th price f meal. in south africa burger nd chips costs just undr 3.50; something whih wuld cost double in th uk. clearly thr re big economical differences between th tw countries, though i still feel th uk nando's is overpriced (nd becoming increasingly s s tim goes n). with th price f double burger, tw sides nd drink t ver 15 currently, it is hard t se hw much further nando's uk n take th price increases.
