Fire and Feathers

Great neighbourhood restaurant on Fulham Road with a lovely piri piri chicken sandwich on the menu. We stop in regularly and always find the staff friendly and atmosphere good. Opt for a side– you can’t go wrong with the African rice, tomato and onion salad, or red cabbage coleslaw.

I recently ate here while waiting for my Dad to finish his eye appointment at the hospital just a bit further down the road. I was greeted warmly and had my pick of seating.
First impression was that the interior is really beautiful. Great decoration and ambiance throughout. I loved that they have a skylight in the roof, which during lunchtime provides a nice bit of sunshine.
I went for their main attraction, the piri piri chicken and really liked it. Spicy, tender chicken on the bone with a good flavor to the sauce. I chose the chips as my side, and they were similar to McDonald’s, but tasted more frozen and less fresh. I would avoid the chips. They have other sides that I’ll be sure to try instead the next time I go.
The presentation of the chicken was the only knock against it, it came on a plain ceramic plate without any garnish, bed of lettuce, or anything else. I really feel they need either some garnish on the plate, or a less plain plate. At Nando’s or something I wouldn’t mention it, but at these prices and put against the décor, it looks out of place without it.
For my beverage I went with a pint of the Portuguese beer on draft and found it to be awesome — a great tasting beer served cold in a large mug. It went really great with the chicken.
Still a bit hungry I went for dessert and had the tart which came with ice cream, it was a really nice presentation and very, very good. The tart was just the right amount of sweetness, and very light and flaky. The ice cream was great too.
Interestingly the highlight of the meal for me was actually the service. Magdalena was my waitress, and also seated me. She continued to check in and make sure I had everything I needed the whole time I was there. Really wonderful service with a smile, she’s a gem.
Overall I liked this place, but for the prices they are charging I feel they really need to step up their game on their food presentation, and also maybe swap in freshly made thick cut chips for their current tasteless skinny ones. I would have given it three stars if it wasn’t for the excellent service, beer, taste of the chicken, and décor which I found to be pretty enjoyable.