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54 Edinburgh Road
0777 006 834
884755/853293

Nando’s Pomona – sit-down take-away! 2011
Lovers of oxymorons will appreciate the title….
I have been intrigued watching the Food Court at Pomona undergoing its major renovation so was glad of the opportunity to visit this new complex.  Much money has been spent to very good effect, the iron railings keep the hawkers out and the new paving is a great improvement on the previous succession of pot holes which masqueraded as a road!

Having parked easily outside the restaurant we settled ourselves at an inside table in the pleasantly if minimally decorated and well ventilated restaurant area of Nando’s.  This is a separate building from the other Food Court outlets which interestingly includes Chicken Inn – an indication that the great Zimbabwe take-away population can never have too much chicken!!

Having waited at our table some time and no menu in sight, it dawned on me that perhaps I should do as everyone else and order at the counter.  This worked well and I returned to our table with a number 13 sign (unlike some establishments Nando’s does not indulge in superstition) identifying us as the owner of two half chickens (one mild peri-peri and the other lemon and herb), peri-peri chips, a Portuguese salad and soft drinks. My assumption was these would be served to us was correct, the chicken and chips on plates, the salad in a take-away package with sachets of dressing and the drinks still in their cans with straws and not glasses provided.  Both chickens were flavoured as described and were beautifully flame-grilled in the Nando’s tradition, my only criticism being that they were rather too thin – all lovely skin and very little flesh! The chips were perfect and the salad wonderfully fresh if boringly made up of ice-berg lettuce, tomatoes, onions and olives (times 4!).  Here I must pause to commend Nando’s on making a bespoke salad for us as my companion is allergic to cucumber and this was one of their standard ingredients.  Our waitress apologised for the delay in bringing the salad due to the fact that the lettuce had to be washed – proof, though none was needed, of the freshness of this dish.  In retrospect, I should have been more adventurous in my ordering and tried a pita or wrap, and the burgers being served at other tables looked exceedingly good.

As the main course portions were not over generous we had plenty of room for dessert, so with my new understanding of the system I ventured forth to the serving counter again where I joined the back of the queue and after a considerable wait ordered Hot Sticky Toffee Pudding, Duo Chocolate Mouse, an Espresso and an Americano coffee.  The puddings arrived in their take-away containers with plastic forks but the excellent coffees were served in cups. Both desserts were top class and would have been greatly enhanced by being served in dishes or if at least dishes had been provided to decant them into.

I have to admit to being confused by the pretension of Nando’s to be a restaurant given that we had to order our food at the take-away counter, there were no table menus and crockery only provided for some of the dishes.  All this is perfectly acceptable in the sit-down section of a take-away but needs upgrading to qualify for the restaurant label.  In its favour I have to add that the delivery of our food to our table and the clearing away of our used dishes did add a nice restaurant touch.  Incidentally we were there at lunch time and there was only one till in operation causing a queue to build up and some of its occupants to legitimately complain about the slowness of the service, so it wasn’t succeeding greatly either, in the “fast” part of its “fast food” label!

Although Nando’s premises were spotlessly clean I was hesitant to inspect the toilets as my brief required me to do, as my waitress informed me that they were in the Chicken Inn complex next door, a much larger and more public area.  In this I couldn’t have been more wrong, they were immaculate in all respects showing that the complex has indeed got its hygiene routine well organised.

In summary I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Nando’s Pomona as a venue for its now famous Chicken and Chips, eat in or take out, but for those looking for the restaurant experience it still has a long way to go.
Speciality Restaurant
3 Plates
Expect to spend $10 to $20 a head
54 Edinburgh Road, Pomona, Harare