Ahh Nando’s.
I have a huge soft spot for them – many a low carb diet has seen me visit and eat chicken and coleslaw, salad and veggies. It’s an easy ‘clean eating’ option – nothing processed, nothing messed with, just simple food.
And after Preston Marathon, it was the only place open before we headed home that fixed my intense craving for mashed potatoes. They were the best ever. There’s something about giving yourself exactly what you want after a long run that’s intensely satisfying.
Get Your Eat On is the annual event in Manchester Arndale that offers discount vouchers for all the food and drink outlets – it’s often worth a nosey, especially if you’re on (as many parents are now) that annual trek for the right school uniform bits and, as I’ve seen so many of my friends bemoan, school shoes. Nothing soothes a frazzled child, as well as a frazzled parent than a sit down for a spot of lunch as reward.
Imagine my disappointment to be elsewhere the day that Nando’s wanted to show off their new menu as part of the campaign. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat at one of those little wooden tables with a hunk of fresh chicken in front of me. Too long probably.
Either way, there was no wriggling out of my diary for me, so regular guest poster Cheryl headed over for a nosey.
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Manchester Arndale is currently promoting #GetYourEatOn which is all well and good with me. Nearly all of the food outlets are offering some kind of promotion so if there is anywhere you’ve wanted to try, then get your skates on as it ends on the 31st August. You can either download the booklet or grab one from the centre, they are everywhere.
Invited to Nando’s as part of this event, we got the opportunity to sample some of the new menu options and of course the chicken that makes them great. They’ve added boneless chicken thighs to the menu – more tender than breast, they’re also a more flavourful part of the chicken.
They’re also bringing in a Butterfly Burger – butterflied chicken breast flame grilled in the Nando’s style, on a fresh Portuguese roll.
We also got to hear a little about how Nando’s came to be – beginning when two friends discovered peri peri chicken at a little restaurant in South Africa. Delicious peri-peri chicken at a spice level you like. I won’t lie I am a lemon and herb girl, that’s just how I roll. Plus I eat an unhealthy amount of mayonnaise with anything spicier to cool it down. The name is taken from one of the co-creators Fernando, which I think is funny and very cute.
So what else is new with Nando’s? Well they are bringing in some delicious big ass chunky sweet potato wedges, which as you can imagine were scrummy. When is sweet potato not? Perfect for a healthier option to fries and just as tasty with the lemon sauce drizzled on top.
Also a new drink will be on offer, Rubro, a new iced tea, which comes in three flavours – Lemon, Peach and Berry. Admittedly, I found it a bit odd because it’s in a can and it’s not fizzy… but still quite tasty.
Finally an avocado salad, with citrus dressing and seeds. For me it was a little lacking on the taste sensation front, though I imagine with chicken thrown in it’s a lot more exciting (and I know Charlie loves avocado, so needs to come and try it for herself!).
Finally, before we sampled dessert, Nando’s Wing Roulette appeared – dare you play and see whether your mouth is pleased with a medium wing, or something more spicy with the Extra Hot marinade? I was grateful for the Rubro just in case!
The sample dessert, the chocolate frozen yogurt wasn’t really for me, I think chocolate should be indulgent and rich, this tastes very little of anything. I would always recommend their passion fruit gelato though!
With Nando’s, Millie’s, Costa Coffee and another of Charlie’s favourites, Yo Sushi among those offering lots of discounted rates and freebies, make sure you get to Manchester Arndale and grab some of the offers that are available.
Menu samples provided at this event were free of charge.