Bethnal Green - Ryan Review

As I was coming from Whitechapel I had the short stroll to Bethnal Green, otherwise it's just a five minute walk from either Bethnal Green tube stop or train station.

It was getting onto 7pm at this point and again another street market was being packed away and Nando's is nestled amongst all the stalls and canopies. It's a bit of a shame as the Nando's canopy blocks quite a bit of light into the restaurant.

As you enter, there are 10/11 tables just to your left, all with little room between them. If you can, get a seat towards the back section where , although it's even darker, there is more space and some booths as well. One of the reason it's so dark is the lighting is mainly made up from these big circular drum things which are all painted brown for some reason so they don't really let any light through at all. There are four canvas paintings on the wall by the 11 tables at the front and a couple more towards the back of the restaurant. There's a sort of yellow tinted window at the back, which again doesn't let much light through.

Toilets are downstairs and are very small (reminds me of a McDonald's toilets). The hand-dryer in here is as soon as you open, so as with Whitechapel, be prepared to take a hit if you want dry hands. The music is also banging in the toilet - loud enough for a little disco, although you could only fit two people in there... Overall, this does need sprucing up.

It wasn't particularly busy and the staff (Susanna) were pleasant enough but doing as expected - and the food came in just under 15 minutes.

Being my third meal, I opted for the butterfly chicken, with ratatouille and rice. The butterfly chicken - although a good size, had been cooked a little too long and was a bit dry, and the rice and ratatouille were as average sized portions and both nice and hot. A standard Nando's experience, but the decor definitely needs a revamp!