I normally don’t tend to write revisit posts even if I visit the restaurant multiple times after, but I felt like I should make an exception with Angel Cafe. Or maybe I should write revist posts more often? I’m open to feedback and suggestions 🙂
Anyways, the reason why I decided on writing a revisit was that my original post was singing praise about only one combo dish in particular. The boyfriend and I go to Angel regularly but order the same combo dish that I reviewed, until our last visit.
We decided to get some new things and seeing how my old review focused only on the combo dish, I thought I would share some other menu items that they offered!
French toast: Funny story, the boyfriend and I wanted to order a main dish but turns out I only had $25 cash, which wasn’t enough LOLOL. So, we decided to order the french toast which was cheaper. It was our first time having the french toast here.
I absolutely love Asian french toast, and this was done perfectly. It was slightly fried due to the egg batter on the outside. But the inside was soft and full of custard goodness.
Garlic fried rice: The boyfriend and I were introduced to this dish over a year ago when we came with my cousins. This is their go-to, and for good reason! Over a year later, we decided to order it again. It comes with a TON of fried garlic on the top that you mix in with the rest of the rice. You have to remember to mix the fried garlic or else the bottom of the bowl won’t be garlicky.
With the stone bowl rice, parts of the rice become hardened which is actually a type of Chinese dish (‘fan jew’ in Cantonese). It’s a pretty big bowl and one person definitely can not finish it. With the french toast and garlic fried rice, we were both really full and satisfied.
Angel has not disappointed us thus far and we will continue to come here for our HK style cravings. Perhaps stay tuned for a part 3 when we venture out of our go-to dish again?! =P
Yay!
We decided to try it for dinner the next day!
As well, the lady did not understand much English so when we asked for less spicy she didn’t know what we meant. So we decided to just say nevermind and go with full spice.
Beef burrito, $14.50: The beef burrito was absolutely ginourmous. It came slathered with a spicy tomato sauce and melted cheese on top.
Hand comparison for the burrito! HALF of the burrito is the size of my hand!!! =O
Chicken enchilada, $16.50: Our first time trying enchiladas! We weren’t sure what to expect other than reading descriptions from Google.
Tortilla soup, $10: Our first tortilla soup! I read a review with this soup which said it was good, so we wanted to try it too.
Basil Garden is located on Renfrew and Broadway, in a small strip mall where Mr. Sub is. Walking in, the decor was pretty modern and nice. Everything felt very clean and it was a lot nicer than the usual Vietnamese places we eat at.
Spring rolls, $6: The boyfriend was quite hungry that night, so we ordered some spring rolls to start. There was quite a generous amount – 4 spring rolls for $6 is a great price!
Large pho w/ rare beef and brisket, $10: At $10, the price was a bit higher than we were used to but this place is also a bit fancier. With that said, the boyfriend really enjoyed it. The broth was super clear but very flavourful.
Pork patty & spring roll vermicelli: The pork patty was different than the usual places I go to. It was slightly sweeter and the texture was different. Pork patty usually has an even texture and consistency because it’s processed (I think? Not sure) but this one didn’t seem that processed.
One last thing to mention is how clean their sauces are! This probably means that they clean out their sauce tubes quite often? It was pretty busy that night so I’m sure that the sauces get used a lot.
Growing up, I was in Chinatown with family often so I remembered this place as a Chinese tea speciality store – Ten Ren Tea to be exact. I was a bit sad to see it go, but change is really evident in Chinatown these past years. Rhinofish also kept the original green tile from the tea shop so that’s good.
We went on a chilly November weekday evening, and it was pretty quiet. The place had new and modern decor, but it had that old building smell and the floors seemed like the original. I quite liked the vibe in here.
Open kitchen and the rest of the restaurant.
Taiwanese chicken nugget w/ truffle oil and parmesan, $8.50: When this arrived, it smelled heavenly. I love the smell of truffle oil and when the scent wafted to my nose, I couldn’t wait to try it! It also came sprinkled with a generous amount of parmesan cheese, which melted a bit from the heat of chicken nuggets.
Taiwanese beef noodles, $14.50: The classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup. This was delicious and just perfect! The broth had a nice depth and richness to it. Meanwhile, the short ribs were richly marinated, incredibly tender and melt in your mouth.
Huadiao rice wine chicken noodle soup, $14: Cola decided to try a different type of noodle soup that night. I tried a bit of the soup, and I found it to be sweeter but flatter than the beef noodle soup. The veggies were clean and fresh, just like my bowl of noodles.
Despite the fact that I came here mainly to try the truffle oil chicken nuggets, I really liked the Taiwanese beef noodle soup. This place is pretty hipster as you can tell with this cute plant IN the table LOL, (along with all the new restaurants popping up in Chinatown), but they do capture traditional Taiwanese beef noodle soup really well.
Although I did say above that this was their Olympic Village location, I guess I should clarify and correct myself because this Nuba location isn’t actually in Olympic Village. It is located on the outskirts of Olympic Village, a block away from Earnest and by Main Street.
Garden falafel,$9: The falafel was a blend of chickpeas, fava beans, veggies, and spices. It was quite delicious, flavourful and savoury. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve tried falafel before but I was certainly impressed with this one.
Chicken tawook with hummus, $12: Oh man, this was absolutely delicious! The chicken was incredibly juicy, fragrant and bursting with flavour. There was a nice grilled taste to it as well. Adding the vegan tzatziki sauce on the side and hummus, I would order this again in a heartbeat!
Chocolate quinoa cake with Earnest cardamom ice cream, $8: I suggested walking over to Earnest Ice Cream afterwards, but Avocado was not feeling it. But, we decided on trying the chocolate quinoa cake which came with a side of cardamom ice cream from Earnest! So, I did get my Earnest fix after all.