I’ve walked by Angeles dozens of times when visiting friends in Kilburn. Angeles’s dingy-looking all-you-can-eat buffet has always depressed me. But it turns out the buffet is only half of Angeles, and the *other* half of the restaurant serves good, cheap, spicy Szechuan. Lucky that my friend Jane tipped me off about Angeles’s better half, and now I’ve been there twice in the past month and look forward to more trips there.
The resto’s Szechuan dry fried beans are a winner – spicy with bright chilies and salty with fermented veggies. A huge bowl of crunchy goodness for £6.50. Dan dan noodles were also very good. Al dente noodles and a little gai lan for crunch and color. Simple and delicious . . . and £3.50 a bowl.
Angeles also offers all-you-can-eat hotpot for £20 per person (the entire table has to order the hot pot). Huge, fresh prawns, fish balls, fish fillets, pak choi, crab sticks, enoki mushrooms, pork slices, beef, lamb – all good quality and in never-ending quantities. The one time I’ve had the hot pot, the restaurant divided our pot of boiling broth into “spicy” and “regular,” and next time, I’ll get just the “regular” because it’s spicy enough for me. The “spicy” broth set my mouth on fire for hours afterward.
My one disappointment at Angeles so far has been the mapo tofu. I was looking forward to the dish’s spicy-salty-meaty tofu slinkiness, but instead the sauce was just salty. Very little spice. Mostly oily. It arrived at my table about two seconds after I ordered it, which makes me think that it came from the all-you-can-eat buffet next door. At £7.50, the mapo tofu is one to avoid.
Service and decor are good enough. Angeles is all about the good-value food.
Angeles Restaurant, 405 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7QE, 0207 625 2663. 60-second walk from Kilburn tube station.
oh no, and i’ve been craving mapo tofu lately! any recommendations? Next time you’re at Angeles, you’ll have to try the chicken in dried chilis. It’s covered in dried chilis but surprisingly not too spicy – nothing near to the heat level as the spicy side of the hot pot.
Thanks for the chicken-in-chilies rec; I’m def looking forward to working my way through the menu at Angeles.
That hotpot looks fabulous and I couldn’t definitely eat some of those green beans.
angeles rocks!!!
Their tel number changed to 020-7625-8686. Added another number 020-7328-3255.
ringisei, thanks for letting me know Angeles’s new number.
The food is quickly served in a very questionable amount of time as in it’s already pre-cooked oily food.
restauranteur – That was my experience with the mapo tofu but otherwise, dishes at Angeles tasted fresh. That said, I have not revisited in over a year so your comment has got my atennae up.
I have to admit I was disappointed in the food quality and the level of service offered
The restaurant was not very clean the center piece in the middle of the main dining room looked as if it should not be there as it was not being used and housed all the restaurants stuff that was not used basically a storage area not attractive.there were flies in the restaurant which suggest that they have a hygiene problem the service was poor and the duty manager was very rude. I will not recommend it and certainly not be going back there.