Nando's @ Bugis Junction

My experience with Nando's goes way back to my days as a student in London. Yes, they've been operating in London since back then. I used to go down to Nando's with my friends for my peri-peri fix, and it has found a special place in my heart. So, I simply had to give Nando's a try, now that they have opened in Singapore. However, the last time I passed the outlet at Bugis Junction in the evening, the queue was so long that I decided to go somewhere else for my dinner. I happen to be looking for food at an awkward hour (around 4pm) today, and decided to give Nando's another try.



The restaurant was rather deserted when I got there, and there was a sign to wait to be seated. Even though there were at least about 8 waiters and waitresses around at that time, they still did not seat me immediately. I actually never knew Nando's as a sit-down restaurant, but a semi-fast food outlet, where you ordered and paid at the counter and they served your order. Somehow, Nando's has moved up-market in coming to Singapore (even the outlets in Melbourne follow the format in England). Service was similarly slow, even though there was an abundance of staff (who seemed too preoccupied chatting to each other and sorting things out). I literally had to wave my hands around (even with a nearly empty restaurant) to get my order taken. If it were not for the fond memories of the food in London, I think I would have just left without ordering.

Decided on the Extra Hot Peri-Peri chicken (quarter) with two sides of couscous and peri-corn. Nando's does not serve tap water, and the only water available is the bottled variety. Thankfully, the food did not take too long to arrive. I was a bit to hungry at that point, that I forgot to take a photograph. The chicken quarter I got was the wing and breast section, and came smothered in peri-peri sauce (I don't remember that).

The peri-corn was a total waste of money, and consisted on a half cob of corn covered in more peri-peri sauce. Except that they did not care to remove all the hairy bits on the corn, and the sauce made it smell a little off. The couscous was slightly better, but was a little bland. The chicken was good, although I would tell most guys to order half a chicken for a standard meal (it was not a full meal for me, since I was going to have dinner in a couple of hours).

So I finished my food and went to the counter to pay for my food. There are no table numbers, and I guess you are supposed to sit at your seat to ask for your bill. However, considering the lack of customers in the restaurant at the time, the staff still had difficulty working out where I was seated(???!!!). The staff at the payment counter really seemed to need training in simple arithmetic, since a senior seemed to be teaching the junior how much change to take from the till (???!!!). This took a good five minutes, while I was waiting in front of them. I had to request that they hurry up, since it had begun to rain outside and I did not want to get drenched.

I think their attempt at moving up-market by having wait staff is a dismal failure. Staff training in responsiveness needs to be looked into immediately. I can now understand the long queues in the evenings, if the wait staff are so slow and unresponsive even during an off-peak timing. I think that if it is chicken you are after, KFC serves a far cheaper product. Or if you are keen on peri-peri chicken, Barcelo's offers a better experience (although the restaurant ambience is better in Nando's).

Rating: 5/10
Website: http://www.nandos.com.sg/
Address: #01-85/87 Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street
Phone: 6338 6555
Hours: 1000 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $$