Review: Nando's

Never have I set foot in a Nando's and seen it empty, no matter what time of the day or where we're at. I've never left less than satisfied, either. So when offered the chance to review the Victoria Square branch, we jumped at it, bringing the little one along, just to make things awkward. Or so we thought.

Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, who went out of their way to make us feel at home, displaying a very Iberian laid back approach to the job, albeit with a healthy dose of efficient common sense.

There's no messing around once the order is placed, with the first course, pitta and hummus practically hitting the table before we've gathered whatever condiments (essential) and cutlery (less so) that we might need.

It's a big hit with Junior, Mum and Dad too, with fresh toasted pitta and a minimum of creamy topping hitting the floor, seat or bib. Fine praise indeed from baby!

There's bottomless coke available as well, while we really appreciated the radler, a fancy pants shandy style drink that's handy in a world of heavy hitting, high abv craft beers.

We're walking on the wild side as both of us eschew the grilled chicken that makes up the vast majority of the menu here. Tucked away at the bottom is the chicken liver, with your choice of spice.

It's cooked to perfection, a hard thing to do with this much maligned cut of offal. We're eating like a Frenchman here, with the spice leaving an enticing, enriched paste at the bottom of the plate. If we ordered this in a high end bistro we'd certainly be happy.

Our veggie wrap comes complete with a chilli jam that lifts as well as separates, grilled halloumi and your choice of spice again. There's a perfectly satisfactory side of chips, a great grilled corn on the cob and a garlic bread heaving with the good stuff, which pleased daughter considerably.

It can be an awful chore finding somewhere to dine with a baby in tow, but the staff at this busy, spotless hangout understand, while the food's elegant simplicity and rustic charm go a long way towards a perfect casual dining experience. To paraphrase a man more true than I, they know what they like and they like what they do.

Nando's can be found at Victoria Square, Bedford Street and Boucher Square. Find them online at nandos.co.uk and keep up-tp-date at *Facebook/Nandos-Victoria-Square and Twitter@NandosUK

Shane Horan

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