As a food journalist, when I visit a newly launched place with no prior history, I base my review solely on my own experience and judgement. But what can be said about a place established more than 35 years ago? This thought comes to mind when I sit down to write about my recent visit. Nando’s The outlet is located at Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden, Delhi. While Nando’s is a popular brand that needs no introduction, for those who don’t know, Nando’s is a South African multinational fast-casual chain, founded in 1987, that specializes in Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken.
Coming back to my question, I realised that whether the restaurant is new or old, running for the 12th day or the 12,000th day, my review really depends on the experience. So without much ado, let’s tell you what I ate at Nando’s in Delhi.
Photo credit: Nando’s
Nando’s Peri-Peri Sauce
Before we talk about the best items on the menu, let’s first mention the sauces. Nando’s is famous for its in-house sauces, each one adding a new flavour and tang to your meal. My table was adorned with four delicious peri-peri sauces: Garlic, Wild Herbs, LightAnd warmTogether sauceEach sauce is full of flavor and a small amount can go a long way. Now let’s move on to the food.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
salad
Caesar Salad with Mild Peri-Peri Chicken
I am a huge salad lover and was happy with this Caesar salad which included kos lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons and juicy chicken pieces. All the ingredients were fresh and the quantity was great. Don’t forget to add some more salad dressing to add more flavor to your salad.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
Drinks
In cocktails, I tried my server Deepak’s recommendation Grape SoiIt was fruity, delicious and refreshing, made with a nice blend of pineapple juice, vodka, grape syrup, passionfruit puree and lemon juice. It paired well with my meal too.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
From the Designer Drinks (Non-Alcoholic) section, I tried Portuguese LemonadeThe lemonade was certainly refreshing with the mint and lemon, however, I found the peri-peri sprinkled in the lemonade a bit too spicy for my taste.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
a big meal
Espetada Carnival with Corn-on-the-Cob
The flame-grilled peri-peri chicken was placed on a skewer garnished with mixed chillies. The presentation looked fantastic, along with the sweet corn-on-the-cob. The quality of Nando’s chicken is always excellent, super meaty and juicy. The chicken pieces were stuffed with feta cheese and parsley. Since the flavours were a little mild, I was happy to experiment with all the sauces I had.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
Pulled Chicken Burger
The Pulled Chicken Burger was pretty good, but nothing that impressed me. There was nothing special about the presentation. Since the burger had so many flavors, no sauce could complement it as it would end up feeling like an overabundance of one flavor.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
Peri-Cashew Chicken Molho and Butter Naan
I am very happy with my decision to order this dish. When I toyed with the idea of trying butter naan at Nando’s, I did not expect the chicken gravy dish to be similar to butter chicken with lots of lemon juice. The butter naan had lots of garlic, which I really liked, and the bread was soft, unlike the overly chewy naan at some restaurants. The Peri-Cashew Chicken Molho was delicious and came with a kuchumber-type salad that went well with the main dish.
Photo credit: Nando’s
Dessert Time
By now my stomach was full, I made room for dessert. I ordered dessert ChurrosWhich were warm and just right. Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, these were served with a thick chocolate sauce and were the perfect end to a hearty and delicious lunch.
Photo Courtesy: Jigyasa Kakwani
Location: Unit SH/2F/12, 2nd Floor, Pacific Mall, Najafgarh Road, Tagore Garden, Tilak Nagar, Delhi
