Whitechapel - James RYN Review

Whitechapel isn't the best part of London (to put it nicely), and on the way to this Nando's from the station I have to admit we felt rather uncomfortable. People kept looking at us as if to say 'what are you doing here', and someone even tried to put his hand in my girlfriend's bag! However, that shouldn't affect the rating of this Nando's (and it hasn't), but I have to admit I wouldn't return in a hurry for this reason alone.

On arrival we were greeted and showed to a table. The word 'chavtastic' came to mind when looking at the clientelle, and the people behind us were talking about a recent fight. Nice. Again, I won't judge the Nando's on the people who choose to eat there, but it was a bit offputting during the meal. As it happens, the staff were all very polite and did their job well. The woman at the till admired how well I knew my order, and even quipped that I 'must go to Nando's a lot!' - little she knew! I soon pointed out this was my 103rd unique branch, and she seemed impressed.

The food came over in an average amount of time and was somewhat mixed. My girlfriend didn't enjoy hers (tough chicken, average chips), but mine was pretty good. The chicken was a decent size (though not very tender) and the chips had a good amount of peri. Rice wasn't bad, but garlic bread was luke warm.

While eating, I was taking in the decoration and have to say it lies somewhere between a 3 and a 4 out of 5. The restaurant has an all glass front which is pleasant, though there isn't much to look out on to (the branch is a bit down from the main high street, opposite some council estates). There also aren't any unique artistic features to speak of, though the restaurant was clean.

Overall, the staff were probably the best part of this visit. However, average food, average staff, mostly average decor, and the branch's location away from the city, mean I cannot see myself returning anytime soon.