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Such is the price of popularity - I had targeted The Trout at Wolvercote for the subject of this month's review but made the cardinal mistake of not having booked.

Not a table was to be had at the popular eaterie, which was the venue of an excellent dinner a few days before. It will have to wait for another time.

But that meant time was short - we only had the option of dashing back into Oxford and the choice of new and interesting locations was not huge.

Where could provide us with a reasonable meal in the middle of town and service fast enough to ensure that not too big a chunk was taken out of the working day?

The answer had been staring me in the face. For weeks I had watched Nando's being built on the site of the former Opium Den restaurant in Worcester Street. The other good news was that parking was easy in the large public car park opposite, so little time had been wasted.

So we lurched in and took stock as we waited for the attention of a passing member of staff.

It is a big place dominated by a large counter, behind which chefs are grilling large quantities of chicken.

For that is the name of the game in Nando's - the dishes are dominated by chicken with the house speciality being the peri peri.

This can be ordered coated with a variety of spices, ranging from lemon and herb to extra hot, for which the menu requests us to "handle with extreme care".

Having waited for the table to be cleared, we then took our place next to the window, which allowed for people watching, even if otherwise it wasn't a great view.

My two companions had opted for chicken dishes but, just to be contrary, I decided to go for something called a prego steak roll. This came with the option of two side orders, in my case chips and coleslaw.

Soon I realised why you should always stick to the signature dish in establishments such as this. The meat was tough and I had to grind my way through it, the medium spiced sauce fortunately adding some much-needed flavour, while the chips weren't exactly hot.

Fortunately, I was able to wash it down with a glass of very reasonable Shiraz rose while I watched my companions tucking into their poultry.

One had gone for a half chicken with a medium spice, which I was allowed to sample and found it tasty.

Across the table, a chicken burger had proved less successful. While it was in fact a chicken breast, it too was cold when it arrived and had to be sent back to be warmed up again.

Having seen the grill in action, I suspect it was because they were adding the sauce cold after the meat had been cooked which was careless. However, the burger had come with sweetcorn and a bowl of rice which was acceptable.

Before the menus returned for dessert, I took in the surroundings. The place was busy but the most striking aspect was that I felt like I was the oldest person in there.

In fact the average age was somewhere below 25, which suggests this is a venue for people looking for somewhere that is a step-up from McDonalds.

The offer of unlimited free soft drinks after paying for the first one is also an incentive for the younger crowd. I was definitely the only person inside wearing a tie.

This is a shame because such a central location is ideal for a business lunch and, although the quality of the food is not great, at least it is fast and filling, which would help anyone just wanting a relatively inexpensive break from the office with colleagues.

On to dessert - and this was in fact a pleasant surprise. I chose the crunchy lemon pudding, which was delicious. The creamy lemon was not too sweet and had a pleasant biscuit crunch - everyone agreed this was the highlight of the meal.

The others chose small cakes, one a coconut tart and the other a nata, which is a Portugese egg custard and, again, was a sweet revelation. Things had really picked up.

What is clear about Nando's is that you should choose chicken - preferably a half or whole in a platter - and not veer off course.

If you do that, then the meal will be reasonable, filling and fast which, for many people, is ideal for a regular lunchtime.

It is not a place to impress clients but if you want to take the kids, they will probably love it.

2:16pm Thursday 27th March 2008

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