Nando's: Veggie burgers a chicken lover will love

Daughter Number Two and I went to the new mall in High Wycombe this afternoon—though it's hardly a proper mall. It's more of a covered shopping centre, with a roof to keep out the rain but not the cold and wind. And it was quite cool today—glad I had on two sweaters.

Anyway, that quibble aside, it was much nicer than what existed before. And it has a few restaurants, including a Nando's. I'd never eaten there before, thinking it catered more to carnivores than to herbivores, but DNT told me they had a very good veggie burger.

She was right: it was one of the best I've had, and I should know: I've had three this week. Yesterday's offering at The Bounty, a pub on the Thames (only reachable by footbridge) was hardly edible. It was one of those veggie patties of mashed potato origin. Mushy and tasteless—and those were its good points.

Anyway, the one at Nando's came (by request) with pineapple. What a wonderful thing to add to a veggie burger! It did raise its ceiling by another half inch, making it a huge mouthful. And I can't help thinking that, if meat eaters tried one of these, they'd realize there's nothing frightening about vegetarian eating. And with their special Peri-peri sauce (available in 4 different heat levels) this veggie burger is really something a vegetarian can be proud of. (The sauce is vegan, too.)

And to think, I used to complain about how difficult it was to get a veggie burger here, whereas in the US it is the ubiquitous veggie item on most restaurant menus. Move over risotto, there's a new meal in town. Or something like that.

The optional side order of chips (fries) with Peri-Peri spice were pretty good too. And the both of us ate—with a Sangria for her—for 16 quid. Not bad at all.

There was a Wagamama across the way, which is also welcome news, since they offer several vegan options. (DNT was tired of Wagamama, since I drag her there every time we go out.) Although I'm not typically a fan of chain restaurants, it's nice to know I can eat at Nando's, which are creeping up everywhere in Britain now. I've just checked their website—they sure do brag about their "chic" chicken, which is very off-putting to vegetarians. On the other hand, they offer more vegetarian and vegan options than most restaurants. And I think that humanizing their chickens may very well encourage people to order from the cruelty-free side of the menu.

Especially when it's as good as the veggie burger I had today.

Comments

[Catofstripes]

Interesting, when I worked in MK Nando's was a favourite place for team building section lunches, where I usually ended up with a plate of chips explaining my non-team outlook yet again to the newest member of the cell.

The burgers must be new (read within the last five years!). Maybe I'll give them another go next time I'm over, for old times' sake.

[Jane]

After reading your blog last week I visited Nando's on Wednesday to try a burger; I ordered but straight away as an after thought I asked the lady if the burgers had egg in them, after consulting a book I was told yes they did. Fine for vegetarians but not a vegan...ah shucks!

[KathyF]

Jane, I think the bean burgers are vegan--they have three different veggie burgers.