Colliers Wood - Lawrence Simpson Review

The new year rang in and I had the idea of taking myself and my girlfriend to a Nando's we had seen on a shopping trip the week before. It's based in the Tandem Shopping Centre around Collier's Wood, just opposite the clutch of shops at Abbey Mill. Parking is not a problem as it's practically right outside! (It IS a shopping centre to be fair.)

Upon entering, we knew it was busy; perhaps others had the same idea to ring in 2013 with a fiery fancy of spicy chicken. We personally thought it could do with an adjustment in seating arrangements as we had to duck and dive around people to get to our table or if we needed any supplies to go with our meals. Other than that, the decor was rather fresh. The light fixtures were large and bold in design and gave off a warm glow which complemented the wall hangings and general ambience of the restaurant. The cleanliness was not in question either; rather well kept we'd say. The staff were friendly and chatty, especially when I went to pay for the food. The cashier was chirpy albeit a little lacking in knowledge of the menu; however she carried off a kind persona which made up for the lower-than-average Nando's know-how. It seemed to be a general staff issue, not enough experience overall.

The food though was very fast to arrive despite we had ordered a whole chicken and a half chicken although we did worry if the staff might drop it all as they had to dodge people going to get drinks. As we dug in, it was evident that the spice level didn't seem as potent as it did usually. My girlfriend decided to brave Medium despite having a poor experience of it prior and didn't understand what the fuss was about - she even braved some of my Extra Hot and found it not as intimidating as she or most of the general public are led to believe. Nevertheless, the chicken was tender and the portion was low in bone and high in meat which is just the way I like it! The frozen yogurt machine worked with no problems and dispensed chocolate like in my previous review. Some of the cutlery was missing such as the smaller spoons and the forks were running low, but not the knives...weird!

One last quibble we had was the placing of some of the tables. Whenever you sit there, like we did, every time the door opens you get a blast of cold air as people come and go. It's a little uncomfortable but it's just luck of the draw where you're placed. Despite this, it's an amicable Nando's which we would go to again if we venture to Collier's Wood again.