Boldon - Elliott Waters Review

With a new Nando's in the area, it seemed an opportune moment to go and flex those Nando's wings and give it a try. After a snowy drive up the A19, I arrived Boldon. Parked, and went in to Nando's. I was greeted by a Nandoca almost immediately, who wanted to sit me next to the door. I declined this table, and was re-seated somewhere a bit warmer. It was quite busy when I arrived, but still enough free tables to pick out a reasonable sitting spot. After pondering the menu, my mind was made up, and off I went.

I went to place my order, and it was quite an odd experience. The server, whilst happy and evidently new, was a little parrot fashion. I placed my order, and went to pay with two gift cards. The till didn't like this, and subsequently threw a wobbly, requiring the managers attention. A large queue quickly built up behind, but after a short while, and lots of confused looks from manager and server, I was despatched receiptless, to collect my condiments and cutlery.

The condiments and cutlery area, which is right next to the till and grill, had a wide range of sauces available, many fully filled, which is to be expected of a very new outlet. There was plenty of cutlery too, which is good, even considering the outlet was very full! Sadly some of the knifes had chilli seeds on them, which I left on the side for collection by a Nandoca.

After that, I returned to my table, and waited for my meal to arrive. The outlet is quite long, and split in to four areas. As you enter, the first area is directly in front of you, and contains 6 tables for two, which are quite tightly packed in, and where I was sat. Then next to this on the back wall, you have the till point which also contains a waiting area (containing one yellow seat and seven wood effect ones), followed by the grill, the cutlery and condiments area, and then the toilets in the far corner of the outlet. As you enter to the immediate left is the third area, a large number of tables for four which have revolving spinny chairs spread next to the window, and to a dividing wooden wall separating it from the till point. Further down towards the rear of the outlet are some larger tables for big groups. The fourth area, is an external seating area, which was closed on this visit. Despite being hardy Northerners, sitting outside in the prevailing wind and snow did not appeal.

The outlet uses a lot of wood, and has a very marine feel to it. A wonderful lattice piece hangs from the roof, with timber beams suspended from the roof over three booths. Hanging from these beams are lights, which are quite effective. Further down the outlet are more hanging lights, these being big domes amplifying the light. Many pieces of South African aboriginal art can be seen here, adorning the walls. Cleanliness was quite good, other than the knifes mentioned earlier.

I waited 22 minutes for my meal to arrive. I ordered a quarter chicken medium, with chips and salad. The chicken looked incredibly dry, but was actually quite fresh once I ripped it apart. Chips were quite warm but not that fresh, with a very generous portion size, and the salad looked quite tired. The plate was red hot, which is often a clue of how long it's sat on the hot plate for, sadly :(

The outlet is located on Boldon Retail Park, next to Cineworld Cinema, Pizza Hut, Frankie and Bennys, and McDonalds. The outlet is easily reached by car, being a short drive off the main A19 trunk road. There is plenty of free parking outside the outlet, although when I arrived for my visit, finding a space was somewhat difficult! (probably the 50 shades of dulux colour chart effect on the cinema!)

Overall a nice little outlet which has just opened in the North East. We appeared to hit it at quite a busy time, as it filled up very quickly after we arrived. Service and quality of meal suffered as a result of it being quite busy, sadly, but would give it another shot when it's less busy.