The Village “Curry House” (119 West St., Tradeston, Glasgow G5 8BA) have been promoting the addition of Peri-Peri Chicken to their menu. There is even added exterior signage, Mr. Baig, Mein Host, is taking this seriously.
Peri-Peri Chicken is available on every high street, now as common as Donner Kebap. This was not always the case.
Nando’s was established in the UK in 1992. Back in 1994, in a previous life, Hector was marched to their second outlet in Earl’s Court, then Camden Town as the business blossomed. No cutlery, no plates, one ate from the greaseproof wrapper, the only way to eat Chicken. In the first days of Curry-Heute, after an arduous day on a mountain, Marg treated Hector to Peri-Peri Chicken. It is written in these pages – Nando’s, NOT a Curry!
Marg and Hector arrived at The Village just before 14.00, the waitress greeted with a smile, she has been here long enough to recognise us. Mr. Baig, Archie, acknowledged us as we passed his office.
You have advertised it, we have try it.
As it happened, there is no new menu, the waitress had to recite the options.
Quarter Chicken, with either one or two Sides.
Half Chicken … ditto.
No mention of the Peri-Peri Chicken Rice Bowl (£4.50).
What are the Sides?
Rice, Peri-Peri Chips, Salad.
For Marg, a quarter Chicken with Salad and Chips.
For Hector, half Chicken with Rice and Salad.
Hector rarely orders Chips, after a few, boring. And Mayo is a must.
Spice Level, now we’re talking.
Mild, Lemon Herbs, Spicy – is how I heard heard it.
Lemon Herbs for Marg, Spicy for Hector.
A jug of tap water completed the Order. Today, no taste of bleach. New glasses.
A familiar face in the kitchen acknowledged our presence. He has to be the elder brother of Mehran and Kasif.
Coming to The Village, and not having Curry, the things one does for Curry-Heute. I note that specialist Chefs are being sought. The wait was appropriate.
Quarter Chicken, Salad, Chips
The Peri-Peri Chips covered a third of the plate. Suitably dusted with Paprika (?), one assumes frozen Chips, another reason why Hector avoids them. Can people not peel Potatoes any more?
Two pots of Dips, I assumed Raita was one, it turned out to be Garlic Mayo, the other pot was a Spicier Mayo. A fine accompaniments for the Chips.
The Salad, again with a dusting of Spice, was Tomato, Cucumber and Onion.
Marg commented on the size of her Chicken leg, larger than Nando’s. Comparisons with Nando’s have to be made, they set the standard.
Marg: We did not wait long. My Quarter Chicken was the leg, and I was able to pick up the joint and eat all the chicken off the bone. The lemon was sharp but the herb did not stand out.
My Salad was full of onion, chopped tomatoes and sliced cucumber. A refreshing side to go with my Peri-Peri Chips They were hot, and I was able to dip them into the two sauces. I preferred the white mayo with garlic I would have preferred my chicken to have been hotter in temperature. Well I didn’t mean it to be spicier. An enjoyable change.
Half Chicken, Rice, Salad
I had to wait for the Salad and so was staring at the mass of Rice for quite some time.
The standard Pilau at The Village, no bits, not that exciting. I always have Mushroom Rice (£3.95). Nando’s serve a Spicy Rice, dare I write – with Capsicum.
But – Nando’s is NOT a Curry!
When the Salad arrived, a proper plateful. The Mayo would work well with the elements of the Salad, but Rice and Mayo? Not for the Hector.
Cutlery abandoned, time for the Chicken. Lightly grilled, minimal burnt extremities. The Chicken itself was superior to anything had at Nando’s in recent times. Larger, more moist, initially at least. This had to be Halal Chicken, it makes a difference.
Blindfolded, I would have picked this out as Nando’s, the same Spicy, Citrus Flavour, but below the – Black Flag- Spice Level.
The Day Manager Adam (?) came over to check on our progress.
It does taste of Nando’s. We have a tradition, at Nando’s, Marg pays, in Curry Houses, I pay.
He’s paying – Marg interjected.
As is always the case with Chicken, the skin had been impregnated, what lay below was just – white Meat. The limitations of this agenda were now exposed.
There is no such thing as a Chicken Curry – has been written oft in Curry-Heute. In terms of absorbing Flavour, all is superficial, lets get technical. Chicken, the Meat, is made of tightly packed muscle cells, so marinades penetrate only a few millimetres. At the molecular level, Salt excepted, the compounds which give Herbs and Spices their Flavour, are too large to diffuse into the Meat. Scoring can increase the surface area, constant basting is therefore required to make any impression. So it goes.
The denouement: at Nando’s one can help oneself to bottles of Peri-Peri Sauce at ones preferred level of Spice. Today, this was missing. For half of my meal I had Plain Chicken and Plain Rice. Mayo and Rice was not what I sought when I came in for Peri-Peri Chicken.
The Bill
£20.00 Now we can see the prices.
The Aftermath
As we paid, Archie, came over to ask for a verdict.
Can I make a suggestion?
Archie instructed the waitress to grab a pad.
He has been coming here for thirty years, take a note – one Mayo, one Peri-Peri.
Mr. Baig assured me that the composition of the Rice is under review. He appreciates that it needs something more.
This was confirmed.
But then, this wasn’t Curry, so The Curry-Heute Campaign could be relaxed in this instant.