Nando’s

My wife and I enjoy Nando’s food and atmosphere. I’d give them 4 stars for that. Unfortunately, I have to question their hiring practices.
The two of us visited the Cabot Circus Nando’s on Feb 15, 2010. We walked up to the door and were met by an unfriendly woman name Balage, who dismissivly told us it would be 5 or 10 minutes and to stand over there. «There» meant out in the cold, away from the door. Not a pleasant word was spoken. We were put off and left, but decided to come back because we were really in the mood for Peri-​Peri Chicken.
Again we met Balage, and she seemed in a better mood this time.
Nando’s provides bottles of its sauce, each which has a pour top. These sometimes don’t flow well, so I gave mine an extra shake – projecting the top off and into my food. Belage came by soon after-​wards, and I told her what happened. Instead of apologizing and perhaps offering to replace my meal, she acted annoyed and put the top (covered in juices from my chicken) back on the full bottle. My wife and I were astonished and told her that top had been in my food, but she dismissed us and walked over to the counter where the sauces are kept and put it there.
I was so amazed at the health violation I asked to speak to the manager. Guess who it was. Balage! She told me that she had not in fact put the bottle with the others, but had put it in the kitchen. I doubt it, after all, she put a dirty top on a full bottle of otherwise fine sauce.
On the way out my wife asked the cashier for her name (for the benefit of this review), and when told that we would be writing about her, the cashier gave a hearty «good!». Apparently Balage isn’t very popular with the staff either.
I wouldn’t go to this location until there are some adjustments in the personnel.

Love chicken. Love Nandos.
Now, Nandos is not just Nandos. The quality of food and general experience vary greatly between them, for example I went to a great one in Liverpool but a below average one in Birmingham!
This Nandos, conveniently located in Cabbot Circus is one of the better ones. The chicken was cooked well (other places scimp on the marinade) and the portions were a good size. It isn’t silver spoon service but if you’re planning to watch a film just across the way it’s a great place to grab a tasty, low-​cost, quickly served bite to eat.
P.S Get a Nandos Card! They’ll give you a little chicken stamp every time you eat and after 10 visits you’ll get a whole free chicken (cooked of course)!

There’s something about Nandos that I just don’t understand. I find it difficult to see the point of dedicating a whole restaurant chain on essentially 3 dishes, which just aren’t that special. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive fan of chicken (not so much the spiciness which may be part of the problem), but I just don’t see the appeal of Nando’s. I’ve tried to give it a go about 4 or 5 times now, and although the food was nice, especially the side dishes, the sense of speed about the place leaves no time to actually relax and enjoy your meal. This branch in Cabot Circus isn’t too bad for space, but there’s still a bit of a sense of being squashed in to the table next to you (the one on Park Street is awful for that). The service has always been a bit rushed and impersonal, and overall I’m just not impressed.