Blackburn - Ryan Review

Stopped into Blackburn on my way from up North. This Nando's is located on the sprawling retail and leisure complex that is home to the Grimshaw Retail Park, the Towns Moor Retail Park and the Peel Retail Park. You can generally park anywhere (for free) across this large sprawling site and easily walk to Nando's, but head for the Vue Cinema and the Nando's is in the same building next to the DW Sports Fitness. The Peel Centre is still being finished, so most of the ground floor is empty except for Nando's. If you come through the underpass then Blackburn train station is just a minute's walk away.

Arrived here at 2:45pm and was advised there'd be a 30 minute wait for a table which turned into only five minutes and there was no queue at the till either... but the food then took 45 minutes to come and there were lots of hungry Blackburn folk asking where their food was... Sadly, it also wasn't worth the wait. I was claiming a free half chicken and both pieces of meat were very lean, especially the leg. They must have also been sitting under the heatlamps for some time as were very dry and chewy. I also had the rice, which was also quite hard and dry - and chips which were cooked nicely, but a smallish sized portion. Rather disappointing on the food front. Staff were pleasant and friendly enough.

Being such a new Nando's, expectations on the decor were high - and although it is very nice, it wasn't quite up there with some of the newer ones. There are half a dozen or so tables outside firstly and then as you enter, there's seating to your right of about 8 tables, with the tills infront of you. To your left and then left back round the corner in the windows are where most of the seating is. I was round the corner at the front and it was rather tightly packed in here, with lots of small two-seater tables crammed in against one another. There are a few larger square booths and large circular booths in the main section - but overall, it's not the biggest of Nando's and it is all a bit squished. The ceiling is made up from shield shaped wooden blocks and a mixture of lighting of coloured glass and Chinese lanterns hang down from it. The walls are a little sparse from paintings and that though - so certainly more colour could be put into here. Overall, a rather standard Nando's, which is a shame with it being so new.