There was a time while going to Vasant Kunj, one would be scared of driving through the lonely patch before the colony perimeter began even during day time. Today, that lonely patch, better known as Nelson Mandela Road, is dotted with a row of glitzy malls, some of which get one of the highest footfalls in the city.
One of the reasons which attracts many Delhiites to these malls are the food courts which come up with a new outlet every other day. One such new name is Nando’s, an international chain of casual dining located on the second floor of DLF Promenade Mall.
In fact, it was surprising to see a month-old restaurant, even after having 140 covers, had no place for me the day I visited it. After seeing many a diner enjoying their food for sometime, I was ushered in. Obviously, I was looking forward to having a great meal at a place which seemed so popular.
The staff turned out to be in real hurry to serve you, there were others waiting. The waiter asked me to choose my spice level from the ‘Periometer’. The options are from mild to extra hot. I went for mild.
Within minutes, I was served a batch of peri peri chicken wings with a flag placed on top announcing it was mild. The wings were juicy and tender and tempted me to go to the next level of spice. As I was quite comfortable with mild, I tried out its extra hot peri peri chicken breast. It was fiery hot! After couple of bites, my lips began to numb. I fought it with sips of Madeira red, an excellent pomegranate lemonade.
Next I went for the in-house specialty, chicken espetada rustica. It’s a must-try, really good, nicely marinated chicken thighs presented on a hanging skewer. I liked the flavour of the crushed sun-dried tomatoes in between the chicken chunks.
One thing that struck me after sometime at Nando’s though is that it had the same marination for every dish. They tasted pretty similar. The only difference was in the spice level.
Nevertheless, it is a new place and worth a shot. Its burgers are huge and filling. Biting on to a thick chicken fillet was divine. I enjoyed it with some extra peri peri sauce.
Though I always end a meal with a dessert, this time I chose to go with a spicy aftertaste.
Meal for two - Rs.1500
