[BlueEyedMrsP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by malpasc

Just because people choose to go out to eat doesn't mean they are lazy and don't cook at home. I do both and am not lazy.

Eating out is generally a different experience to eating at home - a social experience, or because you fancy trying a different type of food you wouldn't cook yourself (agree, this probably wouldn't be peri peri chicken!), a special occasion, or because you're going out somewhere so its easier to have dinner in a restaurant before going somewhere else etc..

Pretty much every dish available could be done cheaper at home - does this mean all restaurants and eateries should close? You're not just paying for the food.

Agree with that.

For me, it's sometimes also about having a break. It's not that I mind cooking, but it's nice to go out and relax with no prep, no mess, and no pots to clean afterwards.

[fruitloop27]

Nando's is definitely not as good as it used to be. It was very tasty up until a year or so ago- brought one recently & it had literally no flavour (it was supposed to be hot) & tasted like crap.

[Kai Thompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh Jboobs

I agree. I've been to Nandos about four or five times in my lifetime, always with people who rave about how great it is.

I must be missing something. It's always been shite.

It's average. Don't get it either.

[malpasc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FusionFury

I'm saying it doesn't hurt to be more aware of the World rather then your own little bubble.. that's all.

If you cook at home you'd have more money to give to charity.. and actually maybe help get some of these places shut down. Keep the places open that actually serve a purpose (I.E All-You-Can-Eat Buffets or Carvery's where it is a lovely family atmosphere and relatively cheap)

I'm not saying NEVER go out to eat, but just occasionally.

I use to know a woman who was in her late 20s and she couldn't cook.. it is sad. We need to teach the next generation that learning to cook your own grub is important, and tastier. That is our responsibility/duty.

Toby Carveries?! Really?! Eww. All You Can Eat buffets... not my idea of a nice meal out.

I agree being able to cook is important, but I'd question whether it would always be tastier than eating out. I'm sure if I tried to recreate at home the meal I had at L'Atelier De Joel Robuchon it wouldn't taste as good as theirs. It would be cheaper, but I didn't eat there for the cost, I ate there for the experience.

I also manage to donate to a local food bank, not that its really relevant.

[blueisthecolour]

When I first went to Nandos back in 2008 I remember really liking the place. I'd always been a fan of spicy chicken and I just remember it being really tasty and good value.

I went to one back in June for the first time in years and found it pretty poor. I don't know if my tastes have changed or whether the food got worse but it was just boring. I mean, it was always just a place you go for a quick meal but it used to be a better standard than fast food.

[darkjedimaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FusionFury

That's what all-you-can-eat buffets are for, or Toby Carverys.. social, family places with loads of children running around and really cheap you can try EVERYTHING !

Whenever I visit family in Stoke, we always go for a Toby Carvery as it is pretty good value for money, I always pay the extra £1.50 for the large with the chipolata sausages, extra meat & extra Yorkshire pudding, the only vegetables they do which I like are Green Beans & Sweetcorn, so always have the large for a better meal.

When my partner & me go out, she is very particular when it comes to food that she will eat, so things like Indian / Itallian / Japanese / Thai are always out of the question, so we tend to either eat at Pizza Hut buffet, Table Table, or if we are out with friends, then we will go to Cosmo world buffet, that way she can have her basic Chinese food, and I get to have my Sushi, Indian, Teppanyaki.

Harvester is another place we visit on occasion, but ever since I found I was able to buy their Red sauce direct from the company that makes it, we don't go to Harvester as much.

[trevvytrev21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruitloop27

Nando's is definitely not as good as it used to be. It was very tasty up until a year or so ago- brought one recently & it had literally no flavour (it was supposed to be hot) & tasted like crap.

I was surprised how bland my chicken was last time I ate there. Not the usual issue with Nandos, is blandness. The skin on my chicken wasn't cooked enough either, greasy and stringy. I can get a nice shawarma or similar for a fraction of the price, or enjoy a proper meal sat down for the same or a little more. On the whole they're an unattractive prospect for me and have been for a few years.

[malpasc]

Because of the industry I work in and the area my office is in, we probably do eat out more than would be average. Probably around 3 times a week we'll go for lunch in a restaurant. This can be anything from a burrito through to dim sum, wine, places that do things with foam and jus etc..

Its just part of the culture really to do that. It isn't always expensive either. In fact London is somewhere you can get just about any type of cuisine you want at any time, at all price levels.

My husband and I probably eat out for an evening meal at least once a week. Mostly because our working hours often don't sit well together so when we do have an evening together to ourselves we like to treat ourselves a bit.

[Elvisfan4eva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by malpasc

Toby Carveries?! .

Is it Toby that does a buffet breakfast? My sister went about 10.30am and they didn't need anything else to eat that day! With the buffet meals you can only fill up once I think but with the breakfast you can keep going back up.

[gdjman68wasdigi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvisfan4eva

Is it Toby that does a buffet breakfast? My sister went about 10.30am and they didn't need anything else to eat that day! With the buffet meals you can only fill up once I think but with the breakfast you can keep going back up.

i dont really like anything that has been well handled.

[Elvisfan4eva]

I was moaning to someone I know about the prices of the bottles of the Nandos peri peri sauces in Tesco and he said "Oh we never buy one as we nick them every time we go, ones that are almost full." He said his wife slips them in her handbag. Shocking. Theft is wrong.

[gdjman68wasdigi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvisfan4eva

I was moaning to someone I know about the prices of the bottles of the Nandos peri peri sauces in Tesco and he said "Oh we never buy one as we nick them every time we go, ones that are almost full." He said his wife slips them in her handbag. Shocking. Theft is wrong.

nandos behaviour

[Master Ozzy]

I think Toby Carvery is vile. I used to get dragged there by my parents now and again when I was younger, but once I got older I realised how crap it is and now never go. I'm all for places that are good value for money, but Toby Carvery isn't as the food is absolute cheap crap. Their Yorkshire puddings are like hard water crisps, their stuffing is always dry and hard, and the meat I always find dry. I've been to about 7 or 8 different ones too over the years so it's not just the one place I'm referring to. I'd rather pay a few pounds more and get an actual decent roast that tastes good and with a better quality of food. There's a nice pub in London near where I live and you can get a roast for £14 along with a drink and it tastes a lot better than the Toby Carvery...food all tastes a lot fresher and it'[s just much nicer.

[Elvisfan4eva]

I wasn't impressed with the Toby buffet either but want to try their breakfast. Agree with you, Yorkshire's almost inedible, roasties not much better and stuffing as hard as nails. They give you a very small piece of each meat too. Notice they never let you get your own meat at buffets!

[Jambo_c]

I hate carveries and buffets, I want my food to be cooked fresh by a proper chef, not frozen Yorkshire puddings and spuds sat out and kept warm for ages.

I really don't get the mentality that some people have that you've not had a good meal unless you're absolutely stuffed and that just because something is cheap then it's good value.

A meal out should be enjoyable above anything else and I get more enjoyment leaving somewhere pleasantly full than absolutely stuffed. I also equate value to enjoyment too so I'd find paying £100 for a lovely meal far better value than paying £10 for something average.

[Master Ozzy]

I agree. 'Value For Money' to me means that you're getting something relatively decent for a good price. To me the food at the Toby is not decent.

[ffawkes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FusionFury

So yes, I think people who go to Nando's are lazy.

What strange thinking.

[fast left]

and i thought pizza was overpriced and overated until my nephew wanted some nandos!! how ******* much!! average chicken at massive prices.

[ThugAngel]

i prefer kfc

[pmw_hewitt]

Someone once said to me that they found Nando's to be "fast food for restaurant prices," and I'm inclined to agree.

I think it's perfectly fine if you want something a little better than McDonald's, and I have no qualms with the times that I have gone, but it's also lost in the middle for me, in that if I fancy quick and easy fast food, I'll go somewhere much cheaper than Nando's, but if I fancy something a little classier than I'll go to a proper restaurant.

[malpasc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmw_hewitt

Someone once said to me that they found Nando's to be "fast food for restaurant prices," and I'm inclined to agree.

I think it's perfectly fine if you want something a little better than McDonald's, and I have no qualms with the times that I have gone, but it's also lost in the middle for me, in that if I fancy quick and easy fast food, I'll go somewhere much cheaper than Nando's, but if I fancy something a little classier than I'll go to a proper restaurant.

That's probably a good description for how I would see Nando's too. I've never been there out of my own choosing, but have been there when friends have wanted to go in there for a quick bite. I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by it but wasn't offended by it either. Its just a bit 'meh' really.

[barbeler]

Overrated? Is it actually rated by anyone? I thought it was just a place where greedy people who wear baseball caps go to get their grease fix.

[Shaun_Jameson]

Reading some replies here I'm not quite sure some people understand what Nandos actually is. It's a chain, like Waggamama, Chimmy changa, Pizza express, Harvester, TGI Fridays, Bella Italia, Prezzo, Zizzi, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Frankie and Bennys, YO Sushi, I could go on......

You go in you pay around £10-£15 for a main, get few drinks, have a loud chat and a laugh with friends/family. Then clear off, generally you do this after the cinema or bowling or seeing a band. These places are not where you go for a delicious medium rare organic grass fed filet steak, with wild mushroom sauce infused with truffle blah blah at £38 for just the main whilst enjoying high quality surroundings where you can have a intimate conversation and an know you're not about to be invaded by a crowd of 6 friends ( probably people you know who will insist on joining you lol) having a loud and fun night

Nandos is great at what it does, you just need to be educated enough to understand what it is Nandos does an also consider the very very competitive price,

[walterwhite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaun_Jameson

Reading some replies here I'm not quite sure some people understand what Nandos actually is. It's a chain, like Waggamama, Chimmy changa, Pizza express, Harvester, TGI Fridays, Bella Italia, Prezzo, Zizzi, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Frankie and Bennys, YO Sushi, I could go on......

You go in you pay around £10-£15 for a main, get few drinks, have a loud chat and a laugh with friends/family. Then clear off, generally you do this after the cinema or bowling or seeing a band. These places are not where you go for a delicious medium rare organic grass fed filet steak, with wild mushroom sauce infused with truffle blah blah at £38 for just the main whilst enjoying high quality surroundings where you can have a intimate conversation and an know you're not about to be invaded by a crowd of 6 friends ( probably people you know who will insist on joining you lol) having a loud and fun night

Nandos is great at what it does, you just need to be educated enough to understand what it is Nandos does an also consider the very very competitive price,

I don't think many people are confusing it with the places you suggest.

[Shaun_Jameson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterwhite

I don't think many people are confusing it with the places you suggest.

Well some do seem to think it's expensive, now half a chicken with 2 sides for £10 is extremely cheap I would say, or inexpensive I guess Nandos would say.