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December 07, 2006
The chicken feast
It needs no introduction. Ever since the opening of the first branch at Clifton, Karachi, sometime back, the restaurant has occupied a special place in the hearts of foodies throughout Karachi. Nandos has become something of a cult favourite, as shown by the number of people who refuse to eat out anywhere else.
Part of the charm at the restaurant is its relaxed, informal atmosphere, refreshingly different from the spate of more formal restaurants that have opened recently. Instead, here the ambience is more like that of a coffee shop; with a TV in the corner, brightly coloured walls and Mediterranean-style décor, and comfortable seating that is reasonably spacious — so different from much of the recent crop of restaurants.
The difference is, of course, that as compared to a coffee shop the menu has much more variety! The eatery has recently introduced new dishes to its menu. They boast of flame grilled meat, peri-peri chicken and sauces made with the same herbs which has also been introduced in their new branch in North Nazimabad. The menu card and various posters throughout the place encourage the diner to be comfortable, loud, and even ignore the cutlery while eating, if that will help you relax.
The starters include a rich cream of chicken soup — with mushroom thrown in for good measure — that tastes wonderful. The salad is one of the few concessions to vegetarian diners here. Also on the starters list, the chicken wings have the same delicious flavour of the rest of their chicken, with their famous ‘peri-peri’ marinade. The wings’ serving is not too large, since they are only starters; however, with the soup, they make for a nice, light meal if you don’t want to tackle the heavier main dishes.
Considering that only chicken is served, and that too with one kind of sauce and marinade (the ‘peri-peri’ that is the outlet’s pride and joy), the menu is quite varied. Most of the dishes are Portuguese-inspired, although the peri-peri is African. This marinade, the recipe of which is jealously guarded, and the accompanying sauces-with four levels of strength, are in fact the reason for its fame, as the sauce is quite fiery and the ‘extra hot’ is really not for the faint of heart.
However, its fans are apparently always up for a challenge and a new flavour for the sauces has been introduced, even hotter than the previous ones.
The most popular main dishes on the menu seem to be the burger and the baguette meal. Both feature their trademark chicken, with a generous serving of fries and salad. The Trinchado features ‘peri-rice’ and chicken strips in a special sauce (not to be confused with the peri-sauces at the table).
Another rice dish features peri-rice with chicken strips on top, but without the sauce. Both are newer dishes, and taste very good, up to par with the older items on the menu. If one wants to enjoy the ‘peri-chicken’ on its own, without any trappings such as rice or a baguette, there is the full, or half chicken which can be shared by more than one person.
As with all the dishes, there is a choice of how hot you want your food to be. If it’s too mild, you can enhance the flavour with the additional sauces at every table.
The usual soft drinks are served here; however, they also have Portuguese lemonade that is surprisingly spicy and refreshing at the same time. For desert, there are a number of cakes on offer; chocolate, coffee and cheesecake. The cheesecake here has, of course, become as famous - if not more - as the ‘peri-peri’.
When the restaurant first opened, the cheesecake was far better than any other in town and quickly became very popular. Although the same cake can now be found elsewhere in the city, the moniker of ‘Nando’s cheesecake’ has stuck. A while ago other cakes were also introduced, such as chocolate and coffee, which are also just as delicious.
One of the most popular restaurants in the city, it is to be enjoyed as much for the ambience as the excellent food. Its distinctive and unique menu set it apart from the other restaurants in the city.
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