Alyanna C.
Yelp
I'm from the U.S. and finding good Peri Peri chicken joints is a little rare (the one place near me sadly closed)... so my opinion is biased based on that fact alone.
Still, the food here was amazing.
AMBIANCE
Pretty casual place in the middle of downtown with booths, self serve soda, plates, utensils, etc. I enjoyed the warm color scheme. First they seat you, then you order at the counter. If you're a large group expect to wait especially at lunch hour. They warn you that food takes a bit to prepare because it's all made fresh (25 min), but all good things take time.
FOOD
Our party of 8 got 2 jumbo platters with mild spiced chicken, PERI-salted chips, regular chips, and spicy rice. The chips (fries as we call them in the U.S.) were probably some of the best chips I had during my visit... especially with the PERI salt. Rice was also good, although not really spicy... very mild with no kick, but still flavorful.
The main star here was the chicken - juicy, tender, and flavorful. I LOVED my piece of thing... it's so tasty and perfectly grilled. It had a slight kick, but it was flavorful... musical is the best way to put it. It's not spicy for the sake of being spicy, it just tastes good. Even the white meat wasn't too dry.
In addition to the marinade already in the chicken, they have sauces in bottles that you can add to your meal. I kept adding their garlic Peri-Peri on my chicken and chips, which gave it a great flavorful kick.
I also tried the chicken livers & Portuguese roll... while the texture bothers me, the flavor is actually quite good! It's a charred/smokey flavor like the regular chicken but it lingers longer. I think it goes better with the spicy rice than the bread they give you.
SERVICE
Props to the host for trying to find seating for our group of 8 - not an easy feat during lunch hour. He kept us informed and even seated half our group so that we could start ordering, since he anticipated a family being done. However, they tried to squeeze us on one half of a long booth by the time our food arrived. But once a family behind us left and freed up the entire booth... the staff helped us move our plates, food, etc. Seriously, great service!
Overall, great place to eat while in the U.K. (they have locations all over)... I'll definitely try to hit up a location next time I'm in London. This one is conveniently within reasonable walking distance to Westminster Abbey, and there's a lovely (free to visit) cathedral across the street as well while you're in the area.