A bloggers meet had been in the pipeline for quite some time now but deciding on where to eat was quickly becoming a topic of contention since no one could make up their minds. We finally settled for @ksanandos at @ajdanwalk and It was the best decision we made.

It has only been a few months since @ksanandos entered the Eastern Province, but they now have 2 stores and crowds flocking in over the weekend. @foodingmyselfaround and I were already well acquainted but this was the first time I got to meet @thefoodiemama.rin, @nomanamiaksa and @thesumlicious. 

We got there just in time for the opening and settled in upstairs with a great view of Ajdan Walk. Bilal was our server for the day and I would like to thank him for being patient with us while we took our own sweet time going through the menu.

The head of marketing at Nando’s gave us a brief overview into the interesting history of Nando’s and how their chicken is sourced. I was surprised to find out that all their chicken is sourced from Almarai to their specific standards and marinated on site before it is dispatched to Nando’s. The size has to meet standards and the meat is butterfly-cut and marinated for 24 hours which helps in softening up the meat. 

We ordered the ‘Espetada Carnival’, the ‘Limited Edition’ Mediterranean version of the ‘Espetada’, ‘Chicken Livers & Portuguese Roll’, ‘Chicken Cataplana’ and some delicious ‘Flame Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken’.

We also ordered a few wraps that @thefoodiemama.rin covered in her post on Instagram.

The ‘Espetada’ is what most people order from @ksanandos and that is evident from the posts that the Instagrammers I follow put up on their feed. These flame grilled thighs are skewered on with mixed peppers and served with 2 sides. It is tender as expected and coated in their delicious peri peri sauce and a great combination with the spicy rice. The ‘Mediterranian’ version differs slightly and instead of peppers, they use Halloumi, Zucchini (I think) and Onions. I love the flavour and crunch the onion adds and the best way to eat this would be to combine the Halloumi, Onion and Chicken. Oh and they drizzle a generous portion of garlic butter for good measure and flavour. 

My absolute favourite had to be the ‘Chicken Livers & Portuguese Roll’. The sauce is a secret combination of Peri Peri sauce and a mystery ingredient. The livers were seared ever so slightly and a delicious mouthful when you coat it with the sauces. I am definitely going back just to try this gorgeous dish. The roll and sauce will have you wiping the bowl clean.

‘The Chicken Cataplana’ is a spicy rice and vegetable dish with bits of chicken thigh prepared in a tomato relish making it slightly tangy and served in a copper dish. This is quite hearty and filling and I love how the vegetables retained the crunch. I hate it when vegetables get soggy. The spicy rice isn’t that great on its own so make sure to mix it well.

The ‘Flame-Grilled’ Peri Peri chicken is moist, succulent and even though this is the breast of the chicken, it does not dry out. That could be due to their 24 hour marination process and preparation. The wedges are sprinkled with spicy mix and goes extremely well with their peri peri and mayo dip. This is not your everyday supermarket chicken. THIS STANDS OUT.

Thank you @ksanandos for hosting us. We had a ball of a time and look forward to many more meet-ups in the future. Check out my fellow bloggers post about their experience at ‘Nando’s’.

The Video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7JZWp8A1jI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Menu: https://www.nandos.sa/en/eat/menu

Google Review: https://goo.gl/maps/QrAV7iYBJ9nTiyry6

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/3KyMAXoV3q3VVCqZ8