When I was in the UK, I discovered a new love that I wouldn’t have thought to ever happen… Nando’s.
Having lived in Malaysia most of my life, I was acquainted with the tastes of this ~ exotic ~ chain. By now, I’m pretty sure most of us may have heard/had Nando’s. If you haven’t:
“Nando’s is an international casual dining restaurant chain originating in South Africa Founded in 1987, Nando’s operates over 1,000 outlets in 35 countries. The logo is based on the Rooster of Barcelos. Nando’s specialises in Afro-Portuguese-style chicken dishes with various peri-peri marinades” – Wikipedia
You see, I wasn’t a big fan of this establishment back in Malaysia. For me, it just tasted “alright“. But something happened in the UK, something special…
On my birthday, I decided to have myself a “cheeky Nando’s” just to humour myself since I was in London and wanted to play it cool as the locals would. [I have a very weird idea of what Londoners do]
Look, pretty much everything [just a few changes of dishes here and there] on the menu are about the same as it is in Malaysia. But there was just something different about the Nando’s over that side of the world.
I’m not going to lie, I went crazy with this place when I was there. I had Nando’s in:
- London
- Manchester
- Cardiff
- Edinburgh
- Brighton
Now I wish I could say, “yeah, I drove the UK just for Nando’s”, but alas I’m not that crazy (yet). It just so happened that I was on a UK roadtrip with my mom during that time when I fell in love with this place.
There was just something about the taste over there. I don’t know… Was it because it was spicier than usual? Or maybe their sauce blends were a little bit different? Perhaps it was the chicken itself? Or maybe the sides? You see, even till today I can never pinpoint what exactly drove me to wanting to have Nando’s over and over again.
So yeah, I’m not entirely sure why I wrote this, but I just needed to record the special time that I shared with Nando’s UK. I guess you could say this is my love letter to Nando’s.
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Special shout-out to my mom who was very understanding of my Nando’s fanaticism during our time in the UK. At least she enjoyed their portobello mushroom burger.
P.S. Nando’s if you’re reading this. I still think about your UK outlets even months after leaving the UK. If you’d like to rekindle our love again, you know where to find me 😉
*Image Credit Nando’s
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