Camberwell - Christopher Poole Review

Chicken pitta hot
Cheese
Pineapple
PERi Chips
1/4 chicken extra hot leg FREE
Soft drink
£10.85

PLACE: Table 8[!] When you first glance this 'dos's whitewashed plaster, glazed external walls and alfresco sun-trap, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an upmarket Spanish villa. The circle-shaped building makes for an interesting eating space and if anyone was privileged enough to see an internal aerial x-ray photo of it, they'd likely say- "with 15 tables arranged around a circular edge like that and 10 spokes emerging from the centre, this Nando's looks less like a chicken restaurant and more like a clock. Albeit an unreadable clock that goes up to 15 o'clock" The retro drinks fountain sported the old Diet Coke logo and it reminded me of a lost era of drink-serving technology- that distinct *click* as you push your glass below the spout and the powdery, fast-flowing soda that gushes out so hastily that it reminds you just how lacklustre modern drinks-fountain performance is. No Airblade, just a nondescript silver dryer here- 7/10

HOST: Alex. this is an overall review of the service rather than the host but I blame Alex for the mayhem that ensued. I received my meal 20 minutes after ordering, not bad, just a busy Friday. I ploughed through my chicken and at 9:22, I sat there with a pile of cold bones while my dining partner STILL hadn't received his meal! Now, I know the mistimed chicken-to-table deliveries are part of the Nando's charm but this was so late that it felt like the staff had gone to have a siesta whilst we sat in a giant clock that went up to 17, which was reminding us to think about the time, ironically. After much confusion, it was determined that Alex had thought Zar said "take away" as opposed to "table eight" and we discovered his meal had been sitting in the production bin for 52 minutes! They unceremoniously dumped a paper bag on the table and left Zar struggling to find an area to unwrap his meal. He had to flop the wet, un-grilled pineapple out of a box like it was a tissue sample, he had to unstick the over-melted cheese from the edges of a box and he even had to remind them to bring his 'slaw. See the action here- https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.154401604724786.1073741830.152... According to the staff, it was our fault for complaining to the cleaner and not to the till workers. If they're not careful this dozy do's is going to start gaining a reputation less of a Spanish villa and more akin to Spanish builders- late and unapologetic- 1/10

FOOD: Muy bueno as usual. My classic order did not disappoint even if the cheese was placed on a cold pineapple slice within the pitta inhibiting it's melting capabilities. Weirdly, the eat-in take-away meal that Zar ordered had actually self-steamed in the bag, which I am told made the chicken even more succulent- 8/10