(This is not an advert.)
Nando’s finally opened a branch in Singapore!
No more going across the Causeway to eat their yummy grilled chicken.
Where you ask? Its located at Bugis Junction, where Sketches used to be (i.e. opposite Aijsen Ramen)
Nando's Bugis Junction, Singapore
How did I know? I got a call on 30 April 2010 to invite me for a free meal where I could bring up to 3 guests.
Why did I get the invite? Cos they were opening up and wanted to get some “training” before the official opening on 9 May. No kidding on the training part. Just look at their sign!
"Training in Progress!"
Both Miss Fen and myself ate Nando’s in Australia and Malaysia respectively. But Jo-An and Steven hadn’t.
Ok, so how was it at Nando’s Singapore? Here’s the low-down…
We were greeted at the door and informed that as this is a training session for them, so we would only be able to order from the “Chicken Meals”menu, get one bowl of peri soup and order from “Thirst Quencher” menu. (Ok, no problem, its a complimentary meal anyways)
We were given a feedback form to fill for our honest feedback. To which, we said we would be brutally honest.
Then, one of the cutest thing happened, this was FREE but they still wish to test out their cash register system. So, we were given Chicken Money! All $300.
Chicken Money issued by Bank of Chickenland (Looks like Ringgit, eh?) Feedback form in the background
Farmville guru Miss Fen said on her facebook that these were “farm dollars”!
We were ushered into the restaurant with a nice country deco and show to our table. Then, the worst thing which could ever happen in an eatery, happened. There was a baby 小 強 scuttling across the table! *Gulp*
Sorry, no pictures on the offending intruder cos we were all too stunned.
The waitress quickly changed tables for us and apologized profusely for it.
We got the beverage and dining menu and went about ordering…
Left: Beverage Menu. Right: Dining Menu
The soup and beverages came pretty quickly.
Peri Soup with garlic toast
The soup looked pretty mild but does taste rather spicy. The heat just hits you in the throat after a while. So just try the soup without any pepper first. My toast was quite yummy, buttery and garlicky on both sides. But Jo-An had the end of the baguette so it tasted pretty bland for her.
One thing to muse about. Here’s the other side of my toast…
Grill marks....totally black burnt! I was rather pissed when I saw it but surprisingly, it doesn't taste burnt at all! Quite tasty.
The bowls are pretty cute too, all slanted…
Slanted bowls. Same type of bowls for sides.
So what did we order for our main courses? We all ordered the 1/2 chicken with 2 sides cos it was the most expensive item on the “Chicken Meals” menu…hahaha…so KS.
Here they are…
Jo-An's: Lemon Herb chicken with coleslaw and potato salad
Miss Fen: Lemon Herb chicken with Mediterranean Rice and Potato Salad
Mine: Hot Peri Chicken with Potato Lime Leaves Skewer and Chips
Forgot to take Steven’s dish: Mild Peri Chicken with Potato Lime Leaves Skewer and Coleslaw
See the little signs on the chicken…
Lemon and Herb=Not so Brave; Mild=Tickle your taste buds; Hot=Gets you in the mood. Guess what is Extra Hot? SLIGHT INSANE...haha...read it from the brochure
So, whats the verdict?
Chicken was grilled but still moist. The breast meat was tender not tough and stringy. To be honest, I didn’t eat the chicken breast cos I exchanged it with Steven so that he could try the hot peri sauce…hehehe…
Grilled and smother with hot peri sauce on the outside and moist tender meat in the inside.
The marinade for lemon and herb was nice but the chefs could be more heavy handed.
The mild peri sauce was just nice for Steven. I liked the hot peri sauce better as it had more kick. The garlic sauce was good with chips (aka fries)…talking about sides…there are the comments on them.
Coleslaw was average, Steven actually preferred the KFC version.
Rice was fragrant but bland, I suppose it was meant to be eaten with rice, that’s why.
Chips were average.
Potato salad was good but ….
Our favorite was the Potato Lime Leaves Skewers!
Potato Lime Leaves Skewers. Looks average but the seasoning was a good mix of salty and spicy. Plus, the potato was infused with the fragrance of the lime leaves. Totally yummy.
That sums it up for the food part of the dining experience. The restaurant was nicely decorated, it was well staffed. They were actually very friendly to us and asked if we wanted more drinks when the glasses were empty.
So, we asked for the bill, which came in less than 5 minutes.
Our Bill for 4.
We paid with our cute chicken money and got the change quickly too.
Paid with chicken money and got chicken change? ahaha...
We would probably go back again and hope they manage the 小強 situation. For me, the chicken was really tasty, the sauce was spicy and tangy. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it.
Hang on, I got a bottle of peri sauce cos they gave us a gift bag on the way out. Nice!
Gift Bag from Nando's! Lotsa people asked me what it was when I went shopping after dinner.
Contents of gift bag: Peri sauce, info booklets and meal voucher
I actually got the extra hot peri sauce but I swopped it with Steven…hehe…
I dipped prawn keropok in the garlic peri sauce. It was so yummy, I finished a third of the sauce. I guess it kinda explained why I had a tummyache this morning.
All right, this sums it up for our dining experience at Nando’s. Many thanks for the yummy meal. Hope they would keep it up and we wish them the best on their opening today.
I would also like to thank my friends for their great company, it was fun writing the feedback form. Miss Fen was doing live posting of the pictures onto Facebook.
This being a nail blog, I’ve got a Nando’s inspired manicure…Hohoho…
Nando's single-eyed chicken
Nando's spicy sauces...
I’m attaching pictures of the menu here so you get an idea on what to order. I used to eat the signature items when I went to Malaysia. Can’t wait to try it again.
Click to enlarge.
Varnishing Rainbows 