Enjoyable birthday lunch at Nando’s Speke

Wining & Dining
This year my birthday was on a Sunday; thanks and praises were the first thing on my mind when I woke up.

This year my birthday was on a Sunday; thanks and praises were the first thing on my mind when I woke up.

BY LE CONNOISSEUR

So off we went to Church as a family, then after Church we headed off into the central business district (CBD), for a celebratory lunch at Nando’s Speke Avenue branch.

Our lucky parking space was there for us right in front of the entrance, though it was tight parking, with so many local taxis.  We locked up, went inside, and chose a suitable place to sit.

We then opted for the very well-priced Family Pack, which included a whole lemon and herb chicken — very suitable for the children, and coming with its a large portion of chips, bread rolls, soft drinks of our choice and a fresh salad. And for some of that famous peri-peri chicken for the adults, especially, the “Birthday Boy” — I hoped, at any rate, having not dared try this delicacy yet!

As we waited for our meal — not for long — we had a good chat and a giggle.  Everyone was well ready to munch on some chicken. Our waiter soon arrived with everything, including our chickens cut into portions as we had requested.

We all immediately got engaged into the man versus food battle, in which man is designed to win always. Our golden crispy fresh chips were very tantalising, so much so that one could not resist picking some of them up by hand, making them fast disappear into our mouths, along with the succulent chicken.

The freshest and tastiest of salads that accompanied the chicken, made our food look even prettier. This being my first time to have a relationship with the famed Nando’s peri-peri chicken — I fell in love with it at first bite, the crispy, chilli crunchy skin was all I needed, yet the kids were happy with their lemon and herb feast and chips. You could tell from their faces just how much they were enjoying their meal.

With some pleasant music playing in the background, the air conditioner working well, and feeling very comfortable and happy, we felt like we were at home and that we had hired our own Nando’s chef to cater for us on this special occasion, while we relaxed and chatted.

Eventually, we found that we were just chatting, no longer eating, signifying that full stomachs had been well and enjoyably achieved. I raised my hand to communicate with our waiter and he thoughtfully brought us some “doggy bags”.

Of course, he thought he was just bringing the bags — yet he also brought further future happiness, as everyone had a piece or two left for later! While we continued sipping on our soft drinks, he packed our food remainders.

What a good experience on a birthday — and now, I am planning another date with my beloved peri-peri!

The sitting-in idea is proving to be working for Nando’s — though they mostly continue to serve takeaways.  They could encourage the eating-in idea by continuing to support it and perhaps organising further training for their friendly waiters so that they follow those usual sit-in restaurant procedures. Such as checking up on people to see that they are happy with their meal, offering to bring more drinks, and so on.

Speciality Restaurant (Afro-Portuguese) 3 Plates Expect to spend US$10 to US$15 per head Speke Avenue, Harare