Nando's@The Starling : Surprisingly Good

Nando's opened recently at The Starling and I bet Nando's fans in Damansara Uptown are rejoicing. Me? I was indifferent. 

For many years I did not think that Nando's was any good due to my not-so-great experience at the outlets at The Atria (that was ages ago) and last year at 1 Utama. I did not think the peri peri chicken was all that special.

The lunch crowd. Must come very early or later to avoid disappointment.

On the day that Nando's opened, I spotted this chicken (hah...hah...) from a distance.

So I stalked it and requested for a photo.

The person behind this chicken suit is hilarious. He did a nice pose for me. And that day, I decided, why not drop by and see if I still feel the same about Nando's. So there I was for my early dinner at 4:30 pm.

My partner often tells me that when a restaurant is newly opened, they are always ready to please. Food is fresh and portions tend to be a tad generous. Besides, service is better as the staff tend to be more attentive (that need not necessarily ring true as some places open to poor service).

When I was browsing the menu outside, a young server approached me and he was very enthusiastic in introducing the meals to me. I appreciated his effort and he encouraged me to try the Lunch Bites.

I chose the 1/4 chicken (Lemon & Herb sauce) with Mediterranean rice and a bottomless Iced Lemon Tea (RM17.90). The young man also informed me of their loyalty app where you collect "chilies" for a minimum spend of RM30.00.

When I took a bite of the chicken, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was so good. It was smokey, moist and juicy. For the first time I could appreciate why Nando's peri peri chicken is so special. Very different from the (unimpressive) Nando's chicken that I had eaten before this. 

The rice was just ordinary and frankly, I wouldn't mind paying more to have the 1/4 chicken with 2 sides (RM22.90). 

I was so pleased with the chicken that I returned for lunch the next day. As usual, I like to have lunch early when it is nice and peaceful. When I left around 12:00 pm, the place was chaos with a queue outside.

I have been eating too many carbs lately and yes, my pants did get a bit tight. Bah! I reckon, Nando's is one of those places where I can low carb. So I got myself the 1/4 chicken with 2 sides (RM22.90) and an iced Americano (RM10.90).

I have had too many experiences with below par coffee and  I had low expectations for the coffee here. However, it was surprisingly good. Yay!

The first thing that struck me when my meal was served, was how wonderful the chargrilled vegetables looked. It tasted very good too. Unlike the uninspiring tasteless ones I had before.

The coleslaw I'm afraid was overdressed and cloying. I did not like it at all.

As for the chicken (I chose Hot this time), nom! nom! nom! Yes, it was fresh, it had wonderful smokey flavors, it was tender and juicy. If I had to complain, I would say the size of the chicken leg is a bit small.

Yup, I came back again. As you can see I am now a Nando's fan. This time I avoided the coleslaw and had the chargrilled vegetables (again!) and a side salad.

I loved the salad dressing. It had a lemony taste and was suitably creamy.

And again, I enjoyed the chargrilled vegetables.

So it looks like I have changed my mind about Nando's and I foresee myself coming here every now and then.

By the way, the space vacated by Bonfire will be taken over by Kam Kee Cafe. Any one familiar with this cafe?