nando’s – peri me awaysparklette.net/archives/855/barcelos.pdfx jul 14 2009 33 responses...

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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

developer for the government, I amlikely to be out dining, traveling, orplaying w ith Snowy, my beautifulRagdoll kitten. Most of the time, I amarmed w ith my trusty Canoncamera , w hich is responsible forthe photographs you see on this blog.



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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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:


I miss Nandos. Always made it a point to buy back a pack of the sauces.


Veron says:


I didn’t realise they sell the sauces too!


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).




Bobo says:


We used to have a Nando’s in Marina Square once upon a time…


Veron says:


I heard about that. It must have been before the revamp of the mall.


ida says:


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


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!


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

?


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.




chelley says:


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!


Veron says:


“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.


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.


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.


Julien says:


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



a business model is that?


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!


Arno says:


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


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.


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


Veron says:


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



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 :)


Julien says:


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.


guan says:


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!


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.




Teck Seng says:


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.


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?


Benson says:


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



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.


Julien says:


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.


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



http://www.flickr.com/photos/muraleetharan/3482697625/


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.


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


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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