Nando’s

Founded in Johannesburg in 1987, Nando’s is a South African casual dining chain specialising in the Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken. From the first restaurant opened in Rosettenville in Johannesburg, Nando’s now has over 1,200 outlets worldwide

Personally, I am a fan of grilled chicken but have only eaten at Nando’s once and it was really a long time back and I cannot remember much of the taste. The only thing that I could remember was the Peri Peri spicy sauce which was too hot for me. The outlet at Star Vista was spacious and catered for big groups with many tables

The main offering on their menu is chicken with some burgers, wraps, salads and sides for those who would like to choose other options. They do have sharing plates which are a combo of chicken with sides for groups as well as standalone plates with chicken and limited sides

You can also add on to your meal for the free flow bar of beverages which includes iced tea and sodas

I had the jumbo combo as we had a few of us to share the platter and we liked that there were many sides we could share. The platter came with 2 full chicken and 5 large sides and the chicken was cut into halves beforehand for us so we don’t have to spilt the chicken ourselves. The chicken had a light chargrilled skin and succulent meat but personally, I would like my grilled chicken with a more charred flavour. I found the chicken lacking in flavour and really depending heavily on the peri peri sauces to give it flavour. The garlic peri sauce was my flavour as it gave it a nice garlicy flavour although the medium and lemon and herb peri sauce were also nice. I skipped the hot series since my spice tolerance was not high but I subsequently tried the hot version and found it pretty nice and not too spicy

We got garlic bread, wedges, fries, coleslaw and Mediterranean Rice for the 5 sides and they came in pretty small servings. The wedges and fries were normal while the ones which really stood out were the garlic bread and coleslaw

Overall, I remember why I had such little recollection of Nando’s as their chicken really does not leave an impression. Lacking in charred flavour, I would opt for Kenny Rogers anytime although the one thing which differentiates Nando’s from their competitors is the Peri peri sauce. I am just not sure if I want to visit a restaurant just for their sauces

Address: 1 Vista Exchange Green, #B1 – 09, Singapore 138617

Opening hours: 10 am to 10 pm