Nando's fiery menu leaves food critic lukewarm

Nando's — with its Portuguese style chicken, 24-hour-marinated pollos and bird's eye chili sauces — has arrived in Edmonton.

For Edmonton AM's food critic Twyla Campbell, there is nothing like the smell of spicy, flame-grilled chicken in the morning, but the meaty menu left her feeling lukewarm.

"It was good," Campbell said with a sigh.  "The food was average for a fast casual chain."

The chain, which got its start in South Africa in 1987, has more than 1,000 locations worldwide, just opened its first location in Edmonton on Gateway Boulevard.

Since opening in Richmond,B.C., the chain has spread across the west. Today, there are 29 restaurants throughout three provinces.

Its signature dish is a Portuguese-style, flame-grilled chicken with a kick from its special blend of peri-peri sauces.

"There is no beef, no pork, no shrimp. It's all about that chicken," Campbell said during  a Friday morning interview with CBC host Mark Connolly.  

After waiting in a long line that snaked out the door, Campbell sat down and started her feast with peri-peri nuts, a "fiery" mix of cashews, macadamias, almonds, best paired with a tall glass of beer or sangria.

"They were really good. The heat level is definitely noticeable, and they're kind of addictive."

Although her side of sweet potato slices, drizzled with a creamy sauce were delightful, Campbell the "unremarkable" coleslaw tasted like it dredged out of a tub at the grocery store, and the hummus dip was an utter failure, with no flavour.

By the time she moved on to the main course, Campbell was ready to cleanse her taste buds with another blast of heat, and she found it in her entree, a quarter chicken.

"Nando's makes their own peri-peri spice blend of herbs and spices, of sun-ripened herbs and lemon and garlic," said Campbell.

"It was zippy but manageable. I went for hot, it's a good spice level for people that like heat, but it will make your nose run."

After breaking a sweat while downing the better part of a chicken, Campbell finished off her meal with a freshly baked Portuguese tart.

"You get that blistered top, so that sweetness with caramelization, flaky pastry. These are a must try."  

Despite some less than fiery dishes, Campbell isn't ready to discount Nando's completely.

"I think Edmontonians are definitely curious about Nando's' because those line-ups are lengthy,"  said Campbell.

"Definitely go once, and then can decide if you want to go back."

Nando's in Edmonton is at 4210 Gateway Blvd. Follow the restaurant on Twitter @nandosperiperi.

You can hear Twyla's reviews on Edmonton AM every second Friday. You can also see more of her reviews on her blog, Weird Wild and Wonderful, and can follow her on Twitter at @wanderwoman10.