Nando's seems to be one of those places that up until a couple of years ago I just had never tried nor had I been interested in trying. When I did try it though I loved it and it fast became one of my favourite places to eat! This review focuses on my visit to Nando's on Brentwood High Street in Essex.

**What is Nando's and what do they do?**

Nando's is basically a Portuguese style restaurant which offers mainly chicken but some vegetarian options as well along side their peri peri sauces to give it a bit of a kick.

Starters at Nando's aren't something I like to buy as I find a main meal fills me enough but you are able to get small items such as dips and pitta or a bowl of olives for around £3.50.

There are various options on the menu but a main course can set you back around £7 to £15 depending on what you order. You are able to have things such as chicken in a pitta, wrap or a burger or those that don't eat meat are able to have mushroom and halloumi, bean or veggie burgers. There are options to have just one side or two with your main meal as well as a platter which would feed a couple of people providing that you can all agree on how spicy you would like your chicken.

The desserts at Nando's cost around four pounds and are the standard items such as cheesecake or chocolate cake and cream. The portions are large should you have room after you have finished your main meal!

Children are catered for with a Nandino's menu and they can choose from a burger, chicken breast strips or wings as well as bean or veggie burgers and chips. They get a dessert of an ice lolly or frozen yoghurt for a reasonable £4.25.


**Nando's Brentwood High Street**

Nando's on Brentwood's High Street is easily to miss to be honest as it is just slotted in the road near to the Sugar Hut night club. The whole of Brentwood High Street did seem quite odd to us as a group anyway as there would be bars with a Halfords next door or something and it just didn't seem to be set out as we were expecting. The opening times of the restaurant are Sunday to Thursday 11.30 - 22.30 and then Friday and Saturday 11.30 - 23.00.

We did not have to wait for a table when we visited at lunch time on Easter Saturday and were shown quickly and efficiently to our table by a member of staff. The table was clean and none of the surrounding tables had any plates or food left over on them which is always nice to see! We were given menus and were able to take our time looking through to see what we would like. My sister and I have visited branches of Nando's regularly but my cousins had not and so they really wanted to take their time checking out the menu. What I like about Nando's is once you have made a decision about what you would like to eat and drink you simply go to the counter and tell the staff member your table number and pay for your food there and then. This eliminates the need to wait around for a bill when you have finished and is particularly useful if you are in a rush to get away.

I often order a single chicken breast in a burger when I visit Nando's but for a change I decided to order the peri peri chicken breast with two sides. I always have my chicken coated in a medium peri peri sauce which is still quite spicy I have to say. You can choose to have the chicken made hotter or not hot at all and that is obviously down to personal preference. I ordered chips and corn as my two sides as well as a bottomless drink and so the meal cost me £12.35 which is a reasonable price to pay for a meal which is going to totally fill me up!

I was given a clean glass with my receipt for my meal and made my way to the drinks machine to make myself a drink. The area where the drinks are was clean and I had no issues with there being no ice which is something that seems to happen in other branches of Nando's I have visited. Once I had got my drink I went to pick my cutlery and bottle of garlic peri peri sauce which I like to have on the side of my plate for dipping my chips in! The cutlery was plentiful and clean and this was nice to see as often in other Nando's the cutlery runs out quickly and is dirty when it is put back in to the pots.

We waited around ten minutes for our food to arrive and we were all served at the same time despite the fact that we had ordered separately so we were pleased about that. My double chicken breast was cooked nicely and was full of flavour which was enjoyable although I did leave quite a lot as it was just so big! My fries were cooked just right and were enjoyable but my corn was a tad more burnt than I like and so wasn't as enjoyable as normal. The corn on the cob from Nando's is one of my favourite things as it is just so sweet and tastes fresh but it wasn't as enjoyable on this occasion.

None of us decided to order pudding when we had finished our meal as we were all so full up. We did all visit the bathroom though before we left the restaurant. The bathroom was up some stairs and just had two toilets. The toilets were clean and toilet paper was available. There was a sink with a mirror above it which some of my party took advantage of and touched up their make up. Hand wash was available as well as a good quality hand dryer which really does dry your hands as opposed to one of those where you have to go looking for a paper towel as well!

I would certainly visit Nando's on Brentwood High Street again should I be in the area. The restaurant was clean and didn't feel like we were cramped in there and the staff were pleasant and helpful. The group as a whole really enjoyed their food and felt it offered good value for what we had eaten.

Thank you for reading my review!