Ashford - Elliott Waters Review

Entered the outlet, and was greeted by the Nandoca, who asked where in the outlet I wanted to sit. As the outlet is split in to three areas, I chose to sit in the slightly raised section, to get a better view over the outlet. Unfortunately this meant I was put on a table quite close to the steps up to this part!

After a short deliberation of the menu, and outlining how Nando's works to the person I was with, I went to place my order. Sadly the tills are next to a very short walkway, and there's no 'obvious' area to wait to place your order. This resulted in multiple queues, and some unhappy Nando's diners. It took nearly 10 minutes to simply be served, which was fustrating, as there was only two people in front, but one till open! When finally at the front, I stated my order parrot fashion, which the Nandoca didn't quite catch so I had to repeat. Once done, I returned to my table, via the cutlery and sauce point. This section is on a long bar, next to the grill. Sadly all the cutlery had gone, but after asking a Nandoca, it was replenished within seconds.

The outlet is split in to three sections. The first, to the right as you enter, is quite small, surrounded by glass, and can only accommodate a few diners. The second and third are to the right as you enter, with the second being quite big and the third quite small and right against the back wall on a raised section. The till and grill are on the back wall, immediately as you enter. There are some quite nice Nando's decoration in here, with some wood features hanging from the roof (and covered in fairy lights), with some abstract African art work on the walls.

After quite a long wait, the meal finally arrived. First impressions were that it had evidently been sat on the hot plate for quite some time, with a radiant heat coming from the plate, but not the food. I ordered the usual chicken burger mango and lime with chips and spicy rice. The burger was a little dry in places, with the lettuce being a bit damp, and the tomato stone cold (you would expect it to be warm, if it was resting on a warm chicken!). The bun was also a little cold, but soft. The spicy rice was also a little warm, but had the kick you expect from the rice. The chips were quite warm, and went down well with some lemon and herb sauce. Overall a slightly dissapointing meal, but more due to the warmth of it, and evident length of time it had spent on a hot plate!

This outlet is located on the 'Eureka' leisure park, on the outskirts of Ashford, close to the M20. There is plenty of free parking available outside the outlet, which is shared with the nearby Cineworld, and other eating establishments. You can reach this outlet by bus, the E line, every 30 minutes from Ashford International railway station, or by car which is much more convenient!