nando’s – peri me awaysparklette.net/archives/855/barcelos.pdfx jul 14 2009 33 responses...
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JUL14
2009
33 responses
Nando’s – Peri Me Away Posted by Veron · Food · 1 ,631 v iews
Tags: african, chicken, halal, kuala lumpur, malaysia,
portuguese
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i was in kuala lumpur, malaysia, for a short trip last week. one
of the things on my checklist was to dine at nando’s , the UK
fast food franchise specialising in the afro-portuguese peri
peri (or piri piri) chicken. (whoa, that’s one multi-national
chicken!)
we don’t have any nando’s restaurant here in singapore (but we used to). my first peri peri
experience was at aj’s piri piri chicken, another UK franchise that is modeled after (read:
copied) nando’s. their chicken didn’t wow me. so i was very much looking forward to
checking out one of the many nando’s outlets scattered across malaysia.
the spicy chicken here even comes with a cute little flag that indicates the spiciness level on
the “peri-o-meter”. that’s like what some people do for burgers!
¼ chicken with 2 sidelinesPrice: RM$14.50 + 10% service charge + 5% government taxDish rating:
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like before, i order the classic chicken to get a taste of the peri peri sauce. for a quarter
chicken, the size is ample. even though there may be no visible sauce on the dish, the meat
certainly is packed with flavor, the result of 24 hours of marination before being flame-grilled
to perfection.
if you like your food salty, sour and spicy, then you would absolutely love peri peri chicken.
for me personally, i do prefer some sweetness in my spices and curries, so i haven’t really
taken a liking to it. i’m just glad that the sweetness of the coleslaw balances out the
sourness.
as indicated by the colored flag, the “mild” spiciness level is really comfortable. i think most
people, first-timers included, can handle the next degree of spiciness, “hot”, well.
all chicken meals here come with two side dishes. i choose peri chips and coleslaw,
among others like old style chips, mediterranean rice, peri corn, peri potato salad, grilled
veggies and fresh salad.
the chips are sprinkled with peri powder. if you are like me, you would definitely need some
sauce to dip the chips.
each table comes with four different types of sauce — ketchup, extra hot, hot and garlic peri
peri sauces. after sampling the latter three, i find that they aren’t THAT spicy!
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My name is Veronand I am a foodie,traveler and CSSenthusiast. WhenI'm not at my jobas a w eb
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here’s the aforementioned peri-o-meter that allows you to “choose your heat before you
eat”. despite what they say, the “mild” sauce is unexciting and does not provide much of an
adventure. i find myself reaching for the extra hot peri peri sauce most of the time!
i think i must be among the minority that aren’t a fan of the peri peri chicken. heck, they don’t
need my business anyway; the restaurants are already packed all the time!
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08/09/09 Nando’s – Peri Me Away | Singapore F…
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attached nando’s menu here for your reference. dine happy!
Nando’s ( Halal certif ied)Various outletsKuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.nandos.co.uk
These posts may be related1. Madam Kwan’s – High-end Hawker Fare
2. Steven’s Tea Garden – Best Teh Tarik
3. AJ’s Piri Piri Chicken – Afro-Portuguese Flavors [Closed]
4. Charco’s – Flaming Goodness!
5. Popeyes – Mighty Good Fried Chicken!
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32 comments
proud mom to maximus says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 9:29pm
yumyum!!
im going back to Jusco bukit indah to wallop Nando’s pretty soon!
Reply to this comment
Jeff says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 9:29pm
I miss Nandos. Always made it a point to buy back a pack of the sauces.
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 11:59pm
I didn’t realise they sell the sauces too!
Reply to this comment
Jeff says:
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 3:38am
That pict of those 4 sauces.
You should be able to buy a pack of those at the counter
(unless they’ve stopped selling them).
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Reply to this comment
Bobo says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 11:07pm
We used to have a Nando’s in Marina Square once upon a time…
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 11:59pm
I heard about that. It must have been before the revamp of the mall.
Reply to this comment
ida says:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 11:25pm
hi veron, seeing that u love chicken so much, thought i reccommend u Charco’s.
:)
Charco’s The Flaming Chicken
Blk 608, Ang Mo Kio Ave 5
#01-2771
Tel/Fax : 6455 3711
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 12:06am
Thanks! proud mom to maximus also recommended Charco’s so
the food must be really good!
Reply to this comment
XWings says:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 9:32am
What time was the last pic taken ? It doesn’t seem like its that packed or crowded
?
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 10:12pm
That was dinner time. Actually there is a whole big crowded section
that can’t be seen from the picture. Most people chose to sit there
rather than the area near the exit where passers-by can watch them
eating.
Reply to this comment
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chelley says:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 12:04pm
I fell in love with nandos when I wa sstudying in perth for 4 years and wa sstuffing
myself when I wen tto Kl…… but GOOD NEWS!! NANDOS IS HITTING
SINGAPORE THIS OCTOBER!!!!!!
http://www.btimes.co.za/97/0817/comp/comp9.htm
LOOK OUT FOR IT GUYS!!!
p.s. and i love your blog! Been following it for a long time!
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 10:14pm
“Nando’s plans to open 20 branches in Singapore over the next four
years, but also to use Singapore as a springboard into the Pacific
Rim.”
Wow! That’s awesome news for many people :D And despite what I
said, I would check it out too.
Reply to this comment
Julien says:
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 1:47am
Actually the article you posted is 3 years old. I read that three years
ago and was excited at the prospect of having Nando’s in Singapore.
Till today, there is still no Nando’s in Singapore. They probably think
that Nando’s won’t work in Singapore, for the same reasons there
aren’t any Nando’s in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and
Japan.
I think there are some Asians/Orientals who like Nando’s, me
included, but there are just not enough yet to justify Nando’s entering
the Chinese/Korean/Japanese market.
Reply to this comment
takeuaway says:
Friday, July 17, 2009 at 10:42pm
Hey, that looks exactly like barcelos in vivo city and holland v. Even the sauces are
the same.
Reply to this comment
Julien says:
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 2:04am
Yeah, but Nando’s was established before Barcelos, so who do you
think copied from whom? I tried Barcelos at Vivocity, its ok but it pales
in comparison to Nando’s. Its not as tasty or juicy and the sauces are
rather bland, I thought. Nando’s is definitely better. Nando’s operates
as a restaurant, serving a whole range of drinks whereas Barcelos is
more like a fast food outlet with restaurant prices. When I tried to order
beer at Barcelos, they told me they don’t serve alcohol because they
are Halal. Halal? In Singapore where 80% are Chinese? What kind of
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a business model is that?
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 11:35pm
Yeah. I haven’t been to Barcelos, but if the concept is identical,
then it’s pretty likely that they are emulating the more famous
Nando’s. With these similar concept restaurants opening up
in Singapore, I wonder why Nando’s hasn’t (re)opened an
outlet here!
Oh I actually feel that Barcelos is following a good business
model by not serving alcohol. This way, they are catering to
100% of the population. In fact more restaurants are doing that
these days. Even the Aussie-run Charco’s!
Reply to this comment
Arno says:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 1:48pm
I love Nando’s too.
Just to make things straight. Nando’s is from South Africa and the Peri-Peri
sauce has a Portuguese feel since it first came from Angola (ex Portuguese
colony).
Enjoy
Reply to this comment
Fernanado says:
Monday, July 27, 2009 at 12:05pm
mmm…love your blog.
can’t wait ’till there’s a nandos on every corner in sg.
Reply to this comment
guan says:
Monday, August 3, 2009 at 8:30pm
i use to stay in penang, been eating nandos for many years. after moving back to
singapore, was sad that nandos did not exist in singapore. recently i went to
johor, and i finaly get to eat nandos.
i notice the standard dropped a lot. and level of the spicyness has also dropped.
however the nandos in australia is still good! they even sell the nandos sauce at
the supermakets
Reply to this comment
Veron says:
Monday, August 3, 2009 at 11:05pm
Wow, both you and Kyo agree that the Nando’s in Australia is good!
The one in Malaysia is the first and only Nando’s I have visited in the
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world, so I can’t comment on anything beyond that. Like you, I also
noticed that the food isn’t really spicy. Not even the spiciest sauce is
spicy enough! I’m looking forward to the day when I can visit a
Nando’s restaurant that serves truly great-tasting food :)
Reply to this comment
Julien says:
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 1:54am
If you go to any Nando’s in South Africa, UK and Australia, the
taste is very good. But, for some reason, the taste is not as
good in Malaysia. I lived in Australia for more than 10 years
and once went to Penang and KL with an Aussie friend and
also a relative from the UK, and we all felt that the Nando’s in
Malaysia was a big letdown and different from Nando’s
elsewhere. I don’t know why. We also liked to eat our chicken
with wine and beer which we do at every Nando’s except
Malaysia, where they don’t serve alcohol.
Reply to this comment
guan says:
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 6:43pm
i agree that aussie nandos is good. When Nandos just
started in Penang, the quality was nearly the same as
Australia’s. but now im not sure because haven went
back to penang for ages. and hell yeah! they should
allow us to drink wine!
Reply to this comment
Benson says:
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 2:00pm
Hi guys,
I see there is a huge discussion about Barcelos and Nandos here. A couple
things I’d like to mention.
Nandos originated in South Africa
Barcelos originated in South Africa
No one copied anyone here guys, it the same as saying Burger King copied
Macdonalds, or Carls Junior copied them both.
It is Brands competing with each other. Historically Nandos has been around
longer than Barcelos, however Barcelos do have round about a hundred
franchises worldwide. I know Nandos is much bigger, but they are also more
expensive than Barcelos in terms of pricing and Nandos portions are smaller, I
know this as I have eaten both in SA and in LDN.
Both brands are good it all comes down to personal preference and what the
taste buds fancy. Personally I prefer Barcelos.
Barcelos has two outlets in SGP now, one in Vivo and the other in Hol V, I hear
they are opening another one soon not sure where. Also the rumour is Barcelos
is here to stay and not heading off anywhere, the word is they will have 6-8 outlets
by end next year. They even planing to go to HK soon and then Malaysia.
Anyway thought I’ll give you all some insight.
Reply to this comment
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Teck Seng says:
Monday, August 24, 2009 at 11:38pm
Benson, Burger King may serve burgers but they don’t have the same
menu, same logo etc. as McDonalds. Barcelos and Nando’s have the
same logo, same chicken, same sauce, same number of sauces,
same look etc. Like someone said on another blog, Barcelos is a
Nando’s clone.
More importantly, most people on the internet and real world who
have tried both Nando’s and Barcelos say that Nando’s has tastier
chicken and sauces. To each his own of course, but you are definitely
in the minority.
Regarding price and portions, I can only speak for Nando’s Malaysia
and Barcelos Singapore, and I think the portions are the same but
Nando’s Malaysia is cheaper, even after accounting exchange rates.
Honestly, I can’t see Barcelos doing too well if Nando’s ever opens in
Singapore.
Reply to this comment
Vincent says:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 1:44am
I went for a movie at Vivocity and walked by Barcelos and did a
doubletake. I thought it was Nando’s but called Barcelos only
in Singapore. I mean, it looks exactly the same! My wife’s
Malaysian so I am quite familiar with Nando’s and thus walked
into Barcelos with high expectations of the food. It was a
letdown. Its not quite the same. The chicken and sauce (I had
supa peri) is just not as nice. Even the chips are lousy
compared to Nando’s.
Why isn’t there any Nando’s in Singapore yet?
Reply to this comment
Benson says:
Friday, August 28, 2009 at 12:09pm
Hi Seng,
Obviously you havn’t eaten at Nandos or Barcelos, maybe one
of the two, you saying the sauces are the same??? There is a
huge diffrence between the sauces in taste.
The logo’s i.e. the cockerles is way diffrent from each other, it
might be two cockerles but they do look diffrent.
I agree the two are simular, but I don’t think any of them copied
each other, I don’t argu with the fact that I’m in the minority,
doesn’t matter how small it still counts, and it is personal
preference, which was my original point I made.
About price and portions between Malaysia and SGP: It is
some what single minded and predictable from someone like
you just to convert and take exchange rates in to
considderation, what about:
1) Rentals
2) Labour cost
3) Local produce, SGP has none, Barcelos import all their
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goods, since SGP has no farms for various products etc.
4) Utilities, i.e. gas is more expensive here than MY.
Anyway this is my last reply unless you can have a more
sencible conversation.
Reply to this comment
Julien says:
Monday, August 31, 2009 at 10:50pm
Yeah, the sauces for Nando’s and Barcelos are way
different in taste, Nando’s is far tastier, the Barcelos
sauce, as I mentioned before, is rather bland.
LOL! Come on lah, this guy, Benson, sounds like one
of those guys who operate those Starbucks copycat
ripoffs in China. No, no, they didn’t copy from
Starbucks, they just happened to have similar look,
menu, products, logo etc. ‘Its all coincidence, just
brands in competition.’ Yeah, right. Any idiot can tell
that they copied from Starbucks. At first glance, it looks
like Starbucks but upon tasting their coffee, you know
its not Starbucks.
Its obvious that Barcelos copied from Nando’s. Any
idiot can see that. But like someone said above, from a
consumer point of view, we don’t really care if Barcelos
copied from Nando’s, so long as they offer a better
product. But sadly, that’s not the case. Most people will
tell you that Barcelos pales in comparison to Nando’s.
Except maybe our bro, Benson here. He obviously
hasn’t tried Nando’s.
Reply to this comment
Vincent says:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 11:15am
Nando’s and Barcelos? No fight man, Nando’s
beats hands down. Barcelos is just an inferior
copycat and wannabe. Nando’s has better
tasting chicken and the chips, don’t get me
started. Look at the picture of the Nando’s chips
above. Its long, juicy and soft. The Barcelos
chips are hard, stale and tasteless. I mean,
how difficult is it to make nice chips? But I am
still happy that Barcelos is in town, at least I get
to eat some peri chicken (although an inferior
version) before Nando’s arrives.
Any of you Nando’s lovers out there know when
Nando’s is arriving? Their facebook says
September, well, its already September and still
no sign.
Benson says:
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 3:11pm
Check out this link on Barcelos
08/09/09 Nando’s – Peri Me Away | Singapore F…
http://sparklette.net/food/nandos/ 10/12
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muraleetharan/3482697625/
Reply to this comment
Tang says:
Friday, September 4, 2009 at 12:39pm
Tried Barcelos for the first time with some friends at Vivo. Never tried
Nando’s so can’t really compare. Its a hit and miss for us. Some liked
some items and some didn’t. I think its better than Kenny Rogers but
since its just chicken, you can’t really eat it too often. But we all felt that
its too expensive for fast food. We paid restaurant prices but had to
order at a counter and our boyfriends even had to collect the cutlery for
us. As someone else mentioned, the drinks range is also very limited.
Its a pity, I rather like the chicken but we probably wouldn’t go there
again unless Barcelos remedies its shortcomings.
Reply to this comment
james says:
Friday, September 4, 2009 at 2:44pm
Hi Tang,
I’ve been eating at Barcelos since they have opened, my understanding is, as the
manager explained, it is not a fast food restaurant, it is a quick service restaurant
that serves fresh food within 15 min, when not tooo busy!, anyway all their food is
cooked from fresh, nothing is pre processed or processed food. All the veggies
that goes in the recipe’s are organic.
I guess it takes time and more labour to cook food from fresh, as he explained
the kitchen opens at 8am to prepare and cook all the food for lunch, then from 3
to 5 they do the same for the evening trade.
What i do like about barcelos, is they might be a little more expensive, keep in
mind barcelos don’t charge a service charge, nor GST, than BK, or McD and
C’Junior, but at least you get your food on a plate and not a plastic tray, and
hands down i think we all can agree barcelos food is more heathier than you
general fast food joint.
when I was there last Wednesday they had at least 10 different typys of drinks, i
think that is quite a good mix, maybe they were out of stock on some when you
were there.
Over all I like Barcelos, I think we should give them a little more credit guys, all
they have to do is a good marketing campaign so that the public can really
understandd what they about and how the food is done.
Thats my bit…cheers
Reply to this comment
Tang says:
Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 1:52am
Wow, James, you sure know a lot about Barcelos. Maybe they ought to
hire you for their marketing compaign, haha! Reading what you wrote,
I’ll give Barcleos another try. Thanks for all the information. But I still
feel, that even without GST, they’re still on the expensive side since
some restaurants in Vivo are cheaper. Sorry, I thought it was fast food,
maybe because long John silvers is next door and they look similar.
Anyhow, thanks, will try. Drinks? When I was there, they only have soft
drinks, snapple which I thought was rather sweet, if they are a
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restaurant, maybe some fresh juices and coffee/tea would be
appropriate. Maybe you can tell the manager this. Thanks.
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