Southbank - Clink Street - Archive Review

The combination of a visit to this Nando's branch and then a cinema outing at the BFI round the corner is quickly becoming a ritual for me - we popped in here before going to see Mulholland Drive this week.

We were welcomed and shown to our table very quickly, and the guy who seated us was friendly and efficient. There was a children's birthday party going on, but he mercifully seated us across the dining area so we didn't hear more than the occasional squeal.

The lady who took my order was friendly and smiley and knew what she was doing - I love when you can just tell them your stable Nando's combo without having to wait for the staff to put it into the cashier or asking whether you want some extras that, usually, you don't want.

The sauce rack was filled plentiful, with all the ketchup and sauce bottles at decent levels. We grabbed what we wanted and sat down, and almost immediately our half chickens and chips arrived. My friend had gone for the 'hot' option and said that it was more spicy than at other branches, but that that was a good thing in his book.

My own chicken was very tasty indeed, with the breast juicy and tender and not at all dry. The skin was a bit rubbery and lacking a tiny bit in sauce, but I prefer to add sauce myself anyway. The chips were nice and crispy and the portion was perfect, filling up the plate to the rim and seasoned generously with peri-peri salt.

I like this branch because it is in an area that isn't usually that busy (King's College student accommodation is around the corner, but there weren't many students there when we went) and so isn't crawling with people and tourists. The way a whole side of the branch is made up of windows is a bit odd, because you basically look at a main road and boring building blocks, and it lacks the cosy feel of, say, the Covent Garden or London Bridge branches.

We had to dash to make our film, but even though everyone seemed busy with the birthday party, a few staff members still told us 'goodbye' and 'see you later'. Which will definitely be the case!