Sorry, I am a SW bore.... Q re; Nando's

italiens are good, ASK, Pizza Express theny ou can have a tomato pasta dish and say your on a green day!

Or, if you are going nandos, i read about this in SW website not long ago, what coating do you have? cos thats synriffic!

Do you have a decent Japanese/Vietnamese place near you?

I wouldn't waste any syns on Nando's!! Get a curry down ya neck!

Here it is!

The menu at Nando’s is bursting with flame-grilled chicken and spicy foods that’ll tantalise your tastebuds. Although lean chicken is a fabulously Free Food, the marinade on Nando’s chicken, and because it’s served in its skin, means that by enjoying your peri-peri chicken as it comes, you’ll also be eating an unexpected number of Syns.

By removing all the skin, you’ll make your chicken lower in Syns while still enjoying the fiery flavours. Estimate a few Syns for the marinade and oil that may have been used on the grill pan, and take your pick from:

• Flame-grilled butterfly chicken breast
• A whole flame-grilled chicken!
• Quarter chicken leg and thigh
• Quarter chicken breast and leg

Watch out for:

• Wraps, burgers and pittas are served with yogurt mayonnaise or chilli jam (3-5 Syns per level tbsp), and the bread and sides add even more!
• 3 chicken wings don’t give you much meat for your 7 Syns!
• The veggie and beanie burgers might seem like healthy veggie options but they both contain hidden extras like soya, cheese and seeds – before you’ve even added your bread you’re looking at 10-12 Syns for the patties alone.
• While lean steak with all fat removed is a Free Food, the Prego steak is served in a roll. If you can bear to part with the bread enjoy this juicy steak for a handful of Syns to keep track of the peri-peri marinade and oil.

The side dishes at Nando’s are almost as famous as its chicken and there are some lower-Syns options to choose from:

• Corn on the cob – estimate a couple of Syns for any oil it’s been brushed with
• Mixed leaf salad – by asking for any dressings on the side, you can ensure your salad’s Free
• Spicy rice – 2½ Syns per regular serving

Watch out for:

• Macho peas – what might look like Free Food is mixed with oil, so if you’re choosing this side dish stay on track by counting a reasonable 3 Syns for the regular portion and less palatable 6½ Syns for the large
• Ratatouille – even though it’s filled with Free roasted vegetables the tomato sauce is quite oily!
• Chips – they’re the only thing on the menu that are deep-fried and are 13 Syns per regular serving. Add 1-2 more Syns if you enjoy them sprinkled with per-peri salt.
• Coleslaw – this creamy condiment is on average 12 Syns per regular portion.
• Garlic bread – averaging 7 Syns per slice (and with two slices per serving) it’s an easy way to add Syns.
• Creamy mash and sweet potato mash – both these sides dishes contain Free Foods as their main ingredient but because they’re mixed with cream and butter (which lets it all slide down without you noticing!), the Syn value is sent soaring - as much as 6-8 Syns per large spoonful!

The salads at Nando’s are served without chicken, however by bulking out your salad with a skinless chicken breast (counting a few Syns for the marinade) you’ll be creating one of the healthier options on the menu!

• The mixed leaf salad is Free and bursting with Superfree foods like mixed salad leaves, mixed peppers and tomatoes. Ask for any dressing on the side to stay in control of how much you enjoy.

Watch out for:

• The couscous salad contains lots of Free Foods like chickpeas, peppers, mixed leaves and savoury couscous – as well as the olives, there’s a lot of hidden oil in here.
• Caesar salad – the croutons, grated cheese and Caesar dressing all add up!
• Mediterranean salad – while this salad is bursting with Free Foods, it’s topped with feta cheese and splashed with a lemon and oil based dressing. Request your salad without dressing and count the feta as your Healthy Extra to reduce the Syns.

At Nando’s there are lots of saucy additions available to go with your meal. While perinaise is 5 Syns per level tbsp and chilli jam is 3 Syns per level tbsp, the peri-peri sauces are only ½ Syn per level tbsp so they’re a better option for adding flavour to your plate.

Curry is fine if you stick to a lean meat (or better, veg) and a tomato-based sauce. I always eat paneer and spinach in a tomato-based, dry sauce, mmmmm. Obviously, no naan or popadoms though.

Italian is always going to be OK if you stick to the tomato sauces as well.

Won't the chicken at Nandos be basted/fried/griddled in oil?

Watch out though - Nandos stuff is packed with stealth coriander. Bleurgh.

Sushi!!!!

Sushi, sashimi, aubergine in miso (omnomnom), soft shell crab (not ideal on SW though neither is tempura or katsu curries), wakame salads, all sorts. Light, fresh and super healthy.

Id still go for a curry and have Tandoori Chicken with rice.