An interesting menu and good food impress HUW FULLERTON during an ‘express’ dining experience at a new city restaurant

THE new Roosters Piri Piri in Gloucester Green is a blatant take on Nandos, and one that’s spreading all over the country like Asian flu, with branches popping up everywhere. Bad taste perhaps, considering it’s a chicken restaurant, but as I walked in I wasn’t sure what to expect because it’s an odd sort of place, and decor-wise like eating in a Japanese tube station.

With only a couple of tables, the Oxford franchise functions as more of an ‘express’ restaurant than a sit-down meal, and as such there was quite a wait before we could take a pew for our food, the sit-where-there’s-room style of eating, making for a fun, communal experience.

However, with plans to expand into outside dining and possibly more indoor space, this could all change, and as we turned to the menu we could see the potential.

Though clearly attempting to cash in on the lucrative market for Nando’s-style cuisine, similarly emphasising the chicken in branding, and their ‘spiciness’ rating system, Roosters is actually quite different. Certainly chicken is their speciality, but the menu also offers a wealth of other possibilities, including touches of Lebanese and Arabic cuisine.

With no obvious starters available, I opted for the flagship Piri Piri chicken, and found it pleasantly tender and moist, albeit with slightly fatty skin. The Piri Piri sauce smothered the meat nicely, which grew on me as the meal progressed. I would definitely give it the edge over the spicy chicken sauces that Nandos offers, and even the milder sauces had a good kick to them.

My companion went for a double gourmet beef burger, right, which was okay if not revolutionary, and came with a surprisingly strong cheese slice and fresh buns.

Our sides however were more of a mixed bag; the Piri Piri seasoning on my fries, for 20p extra, was essentially just a dash of unnecessary paprika flavouring that smothered their natural flavour. By contrast, my friend’s traditional Arabic fattoush salad was a surprise hit, and a great healthy alternative to the other side orders.

When it came to desserts, the menu was less diverse, offering only cheesecake bites (which were out of stock) and Italian ice-cream. However, sometimes less is more, and the ice cream was probably the biggest success of the night. The gelato here is obviously taken extremely seriously with the nutty pistachio, in particular, becoming an instant personal favourite and probably the best I’ve encountered in Oxford. It makes it worth the trip alone.

Altogether our meal was about £13 each, on the expensive side of reasonably priced, but nothing to baulk at, with many cheaper options like wraps available.

With friendly service, reasonably quick cooking and opening hours of 11am to 11pm, I’d definitely recommend Roosters Piri Piri for an eat-in, but I’m not sure how well all of the dishes would work as takeaway.

Here’s hoping the expansion plans are successful.

  • Roosters Piri Piri is at St George’s Place, Gloucester Green, Oxford. Call 01865 250095 or see roosters piripiri.com