Recently I had been invited to review the Espetada Carnival at Nando’s India. As you know, Nando’s is a South African Casual Dining Restaurant Group which specializes in Afro-Portuguese cuisine. It was a 45-day long ‘Discover Espetada carnival’ which celebrated the Espetada chicken which is flame grilled peri peri chicken thighs stuffed with garlic, parsley and feta. It’s one of the signature dishes of Portuguese cuisine and was an instant hit with the masses even when it was introduced in Nando’s India.
We started with a veg appetizer which was the Peri-Peri Hummus and Pita. This was Nando’s spin on the the classic dish. The hummus was made with legendary Peri-Peri sauce and had olives for company too. The warm pita bread was just right for the amazing hummus which we relished with enjoyment!
My favorite starter was the Chicken Liver which I really like at Nando’s as it has got amazing authentic taste to it and also spicy to my liking. I also tried out the Butterfly Chicken Breast which is succulent chicken breasts in crispy skin with nice Peri-Peri sauce. My favorite Peri-Peri sauce is Hot Peri-Peri. The other Peri-Peri sauces are Extra Hot Peri-Peri, Mild Peri-Peri and Lemon & Herb Peri-Peri. These are mentioned by me in the decreasing order of spiciness!
We tried some really nice designer drinks like Citra, Citrus Bliss, Madeira Red, Refresh Mint, Ponch Zurra and Rosa Fresca. My favorite designer drink was Citrus Bliss which is made with Mojito mint syrup, grapefruit juice and Sprite coupled with ice cubes and fresh mint leaves. It is also spruced up with slices of fresh citrus fruit. This was refreshing to go along with the spicy food.
I’m not a big fan of salads but upon insistence from my vegetarian friend, I tried out the Vegetarian Caesar Salad. This was made with cos lettuce, Parmesan cheese and Nando’s croutons. It was topped with unique Caesar dressing from Nando’s. This was a healthy start to the main course as we were going to indulge there!
My vegetarian friend tried the Veg Espetada which was tender marinated Paneer and fresh peppers, served on a skewer with 2 regular sides. My friend Nivedith loved the Paneer and said it was one of the most juiciest and succulent Paneer he had ever tasted in his life! He choose the Mild Peri-Peri sauce to go with it as he doesn’t like to eat too much spicy stuff.
And finally the grand entrance of the start of the Espetada Carnival was bought in – the Espetada carnival meal which is Flame grilled Peri-Peri chicken thighs stuffed with garlic, parsley and feta skewered with mixed peppers and served with a side of butternut squash and grilled corn, PERI chips and mango sangria. This was amazing and I loved the brilliant way in which it is presented. Also I could indulge without any guilt feeling as Nando’s chicken are always flame-grilled and never deep-fried which ensures that any fat that may have been left on the chicken is burnt away. It’s reasonably priced at around Rs.580 (exclusive of taxes) and it easily can be had by 2 hungry people! I would definitely recommend everyone to go to Nando’s and try out this amazing Espetada dish.
My rating – 4/5
You can find Nando’s India Restaurants here…
