Reading - Oracle Centre - Ryan Review
Arrived at this Nando's at about 5pm on a (Orange) Wednesday during half term... so needless to say it was rammed with up to a 10 minute wait for a table for larger groups. Luckily there was a two-seater table so I was seated straight away and even with the volume of people in here, there was only a 9 minute wait for the food to come.
This Nando's is located within the Oracle Centre complex (or The Riverside complex), so follow signs to this for car parking. It's not cheap and is priced at £1.50/1hr, £3/2hrs, £5/3hrs, £6.50/4hrs and increments up to "over 8 hours" - but is still seemingly the cheapest car park in Reading centre. Also, Reading train station is half a mile walk away and Reading West is one mile walk away. There is a bit of everything for everyone in and around the Oracle complex too: plenty of shops, plenty of restaurants and a Vue Cinema as well.
As you enter this Nando's, immediately to your right is a reasonable sized waiting area and the stairs up to the toilets. On the wall to the right is a big bright canvas painting. To the left of the entrance the restaurant opens out to the seating area which is all table/chair (and bench) seating up to the left hand wall - and then towards the back/left there is a raised section (and another raised section in there) where there are some booths. On the left hand wall above the bench seating are three more large canvas paintings, but otherwise, this has a standard feel for decor. There's lots of wood carvings and pots making there be a lot of brown decor and plenty of magnolia paint. The lighting is mainly spot lighting except for a row of upside funnels running above the very front of the restaurant (and entrance) - kinda makes it look like some upside down tea-lights.
The seating was a little cramped. I was sat in between two other two-seater tables and we might as well have been on a six-seater table we were that close, but hey it was busy.
The food was delicious too. A good sized portion of hot crispy chips and an average size portion of warm moist rice. The half chicken was delicious though - piping hot and moist throughout. Not much sauce on it, but plenty of table sauce sorted that out and it was so succulent you didn't mind!
Staff were very busy so just doing the minimum to get through the shift I suppose! :-)
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