By Le Connoisseur Since morning I had only had a cup of tea and an apple. Two hours later, anything fried and fast would do for a Monday lunch. Out and about doing some work related errands, we opted for Nando’s at Marimba Park, which wasn’t far away. To my surprise it was already 2:30pm. Yes indeed, it was time to have a gnaw! From where we parked, a nice tantalising smell reached us, whetting our appetites still further.Sitting outside was an option, though we decided to sit inside because the pavement in the outside sitting area was flooded with water dripping from the surrounding pretty flower pots which had evidently just been watered. The air conditioning was working well and the seats, made from shiny leather-like material, were so comfortable one could easily feel tempted to fall asleep after the meal! As I requested the menu, my colleague ordered our first drinks. Sipping on a cool soft drink browsing the menu, it did not take long before we decided what we felt like that afternoon. My colleague went for the mild chicken wings and chips. Nando’s is specially known for their extra hot peri peri chicken, yum! I was tempted to taste it, but opted more cautiously for the hot rather than the extra hot. It came with chips and we both ordered Portuguese salad to accompany our chicken, especially my hot version. The Salad was well-presented and olives and feta were optional additions, which I accepted with relish. While we awaited our orders we washed our hands in a sink located in the corner of the restaurant, well-equipped with hand washing liquid, hand dryer and paper towels, and cold and hot water were available. Although our first drinks were delivered to our table, it was a different case for our main courses. We had to wait quietly for our order number to be called since there were four more orders ahead of ours. When ours was ready, my colleague went to collect it. He was offered a side plate as he was sitting in. For several minutes there was silence at our table, only cutleryand a gnawing sound was allowed, the chicken, chips and salad, no doubt! Either these were great or maybe it was my empty stomach which was ready for anything! I suspect the former because my partner enjoyed the meal just as much as I did!
Tables and floors were totally clean, but you could see a smiling waiter polishing the tables for extra clean I think! I am thinking of going back with the family on a Saturday to try their family pack which includes; portuguese spicy full chicken, jumbo chips, fresh rolls, rice, coleslaw, salad and soft drinks, good value for money at US$30. Nando’s would do even better in the competition if they arranged for waiter service for sit-in diners, more in keeping with the speciality restaurant category they have entered, a point that has been made by several review teams at their various outlets.
Speciality Restaurant 4 Plates Expect to spend US$10 to US$20 per head Marimba Shopping Centre, Marimba Park, Harare.
