Deigo’s Peri Peri is a new resto down Nawala Road serving Portugeuse style peri peri chicken. Hungry and wanting some twist at the end of the week, we made our way there.
Food
The first thing you notice is their Peri Meter, with settings ranging from Mild, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot to You-Crazy? You order by matching your heat level to their meat-based (chicken, beef, seafood) mains. Then choose from their list of ‘Premium Sides’ that is the rice and the carb base for the meal. Last but not least, you get one of two of the complementary salads.
We chose the Quarter Chicken with Portuguese Rice and Corn & Kidney Bean Salad (Rs. 490), with Extra Hot sauce. We also got ourselves the Peri Peri Grilled Wings (Rs. 200 for 3) with Hot sauce and the Peri Peri Pulled Beef Burger (Rs. 700).
Let’s start with the chicken because that’s what we were there for. It was grilled to perfection with a few charred bits here and there. The meat came off the bones easily since it was cooked all the way through. This chicken leg was marinated in spices, with a slight tang giving off plenty of chicken flavour with a load of smokey notes. However, we ordered the “Extra Hot” and to our dismay, this had barely any heat. Don’t get us wrong, the chicken did have some level of heat and was superb in taste but we expected a bit more spicy.
The rice was presented with a beautiful yellow colour with a subtle seasoning without being oily. It was cooked well and would have done better with a bit more spices.
Our Corn and Kidney Bean Salad in the meal didn’t impress us that much. It came with well boiled black-eyed peas, kidney beans, small tomato pieces and corn with a custard sauce. We felt as if it didn’t have enough corn and mixing things up didn’t give much flavour. We ended up not finishing the salad, even though it felt fresh.
The Peri Peri Grilled Wings were essentially marinated in the same manner. Grilled nicely with a bold smokiness coming through, coupled with a strong tang, we enjoyed them. The flavours made our tongues get twisted in pleasure while we smacked our lips. The heat was more than enough here and the wings ended up actually giving the spicy kick we expected, taking all the flavours to the next level. We forego the knife & fork quickly and proceeded to get dirty with our hands – it was worth it.
The Pulled Beef Burger was hefty and nicely presented. The top bun was toasted to give off a delightful crunch and had a generous slathering of butter underneath. I was apprehensive about the size of onion rings, tomato slices and the lettuce but I really shouldn’t have, considering the flavour they added.
Biting into the burger, it provided a delightful smokey whiff with a subtle bitterness (from the seeds we suspect), followed by the fresh moisture and a crunch from the veggies.
There were plenty of pulled beef pieces kicking off with a slight tang which added up to a juicy, finger-licking burger. The juices dripped on to the plate made things a bit messy while making the bottom bun slightly soggy, but we didn’t mind.
Drinks
As for drinks we chose the Mixed Berry Splash (Rs. 250) and the Tropical Passion (Rs. 250) which were served chilled in mason jars.
Pictured above – Mixed Berry Splash (left) Tropical Passion (right)
The Mixed Berry Splash had an eye-catching red colour and while leaning towards the strawberry syrup flavour. It was balanced with soda, making way to a refreshing drink.
The Tropical Passion packed a contrasting flavour punch. It had a guava undertone with plenty of fizz that shakes and wakes you up.
Two very different and funky drinks, but equally good in their own way.
Ambience and Service
This small resto has enough space to hold about 20-25 people inside and there were a couple of chairs outside too. The lighting was plenty and the deco gave a lighthearted mood and the overhead music was non-intrusive.
The staff seemed like they’re still getting used to things but we still got a pleasant welcoming service and we didn’t have anything to complain about. Our order came to us without much delay and we were given space to enjoy our food even while snapping pictures of the food.
Conclusion
They seem to need a bit of polishing up to get into full gear (especially in the sauces section), but felt that we got our money’s worth. If you are in the area wanting to try a good Peri Peri chicken or a delicious burger with a friend or two, this is the a place to visit.