Takeout International: Angus Cafe
Written By: Angus Leung, Ronnie Chan, Christopher Lau, and Alistair Woo
A 5-minute walk from the Fortress Hill MTR station, Angus Cafe has been one of the most popular restaurants among the local residents in recent years, this is due to its high-quality meals at a reasonable price served with speed and efficiency. Yet, despite this popularity, its online and social media presence has been largely limited, leading to its criminally underrated status compared to other restaurants that have caught up with the times.
As someone who has visited the restaurant multiple times since its opening in 2016, I believe it is time to undo this injustice. So, on a normal Wednesday afternoon, I kidnapped and dragged along a few of my friends to check it out. Anyways, how was the food guys?
Taste
Tha Shrimp Cake with Fried Egg
Angus: I had Lunch Set B (Thai Shrimp Cake with Fried Egg) served with rice and a glass of Ovaltine. Contrary to the bite-sized cakes that are typically deep-fried or pan-fried, the one that I had was a giant one that was steamed and served with soy sauce, which was more akin to a typical HK-style meatloaf. Though it was not similar to a Thai shrimp cake in presentation, the taste was similar, or even better than the ones I’ve had. Instead of having only shrimp paste throughout, the shrimp cake had pieces of spring onions and chilli which makes it all the more addicting to eat. The fried egg compliments this with its crispy egg white and melty yolk, which helped to cover the plain white rice underneath the cake and fried egg.
The Ovaltine also stands out FOR NOT BEING MADE WITH WATER, it has a hint of milk that makes it taste better than most other HK diners. Overall, it was pretty good, but the part that I wish could be better would be the side of vegetables. To be honest, I felt like it was there for the sake of presentation, but could have been improved if it had just a bit of vinegar or salad dressing, it just tasted like regular lettuce, and that’s pretty much it. 8/10.
Ali: I had the Daily Lunch Set C, HK Style Chicken Curry. The taste was faithful to its name, sticking close to the traditional aroma the moment the dish was set in front of me. Upon consumption, I could feel the slow-burning heat that eventually made its way to the back of my mouth – a common characteristic of HK-style curry that makes it unique in comparison to international equivalents (i.e. Indian curry, Japanese curry, British curry). The sauce was just right in terms of its viscosity: it was just thin enough to mesh well with the provided carbs but just thick enough to coat the potatoes and chicken. However, there were certain issues with the ingredients in the curry itself. First, the potatoes were slightly cold in the centre, meaning that they were cut too large and should’ve been made in smaller chunks in order to be cooked to the same heat as the chicken. Speaking of the chicken, the fact that the bones which held the chicken together had cracks in them alludes to a butchered butchering. It shows that the chef who cut the chicken may have missed the vital ligaments, causing these fractures. Finally, the rice that was provided with the chicken was only lukewarm, meaning that it had likely been left on the plate for some amount of time on its own before being paired with the curry, rather than being freshly scooped from a big batch of rice. Overall, despite the fact that the curry sauce was to die for, the dish didn’t manage to pair the sauce with ingredients that would allow it to shine but rather hindered the tastiness. 6/10.
Ronnie: I liked the food, it was a bit oily but that is very normal for Hong Kong fast food. I had the fried porkchop, so maybe that was why it was so oily. The pork was tender and not dry, the rice was not mush and I could tell each grain (personal preference, I like harder rice), the sauce was an onion sauce, not too salty and fit the dish well (cost $62 (includes a drink)). The milk tea clearly used evaporated milk, the tea flavour was a bit lacking, and the amount of ice was fine. The french toast was very oily, perfect for butter lovers, the syrup was just enough for me, the french toast had a nice crunch to its edges and had peanut butter in it (cost $35 (includes a drink)). 7.5/10.
Chris: Daily lunch set A named “半島清湯手切牛腩牛筋蘿蔔湯米線” is a dish that includes beef brisket and tendon served in radish broth with rice noodles. Overall, the dish was neither extraordinary nor disappointing in taste, presentation, and portion/serving size. The indisputable highlight was the beef brisket and tendons, as they were tender and not chewy whatsoever while delivering the scrumptiousness expected of the dish. Otherwise, the rice noodles and radish broth were adequately hot and flavourful. I also received a hot cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea along with the main dish, and to be perfectly honest, it did not meet my relatively low expectations for this common beverage. Something was inexplicably off with the smell, and the taste was rather bland. Personally, I would stick to a cup of hot chocolate or Ovaltine. 8/10.
The Menu on the Day
Cost Effectiveness
Angus: With a price range of ~60-70$ per meal during lunch, the price is relatively expensive, but it compensates with the quality of food provided. As a person with a slower metabolism, the food portion was just right (cough cough, Ali, cough cough). 8/10.
Ali: I am used to incredibly overpriced food in Hong Kong, and the fact that the menu prices did not change too much from the last time that I visited (increases of around 10$ per dish only) is a positive aspect for me. However, the portions were still a little bit small for me, and I needed to buy a second dish in order to satiate my hunger. Price: 8/10; Portion: 5/10; Overall: 6/10.
Ronnie: Good quality and portion size and has a drink, but costs around 60-70$ for a set lunch, not the cheapest but not ridiculously expensive. 8/10.
Chris: I felt like the aforementioned portion size and quality of the food I received somewhat justifies the slightly expensive $64 price tag. For lunchtime meals by myself, I am more accustomed to eating at restaurants with cheaper meal options, and this dish was not enough to warrant any special treatment or evaluation. 7/10.
Cleanliness
Angus: I’ll just get to the point and admit that I am an extreme germaphobe. Queuing outside the restaurant was slightly intolerable. This was because right next to Angus Cafe is Chop Chop, a Siu Mei restaurant. And typical of a Siu Mei restaurant, the sidewalk was coated in grease, oil and some unidentifiable black goo. This is in no way the fault of Angus Cafe but just made it somewhat uncomfortable to queue. However, once inside the restaurant, the place is quite clean, even the utensils that are inside the plastic boxes of each table (even though I would still clean them off with some wet wipes, school cafeteria utensils have given me nightmares) 7/10.
Ali: We managed to secure a table with plenty of space, at least in comparison to the other customers. Four seats for three people was more than enough. In terms of the cleanliness of the restaurant itself, there were no identifiable stenches or stains anywhere on the table. Especially when we consider the type of restaurant, it was incredibly clean. 8/10.
Ronnie: The tables in the restaurant are quite clean, there were no visible bits of food when we arrived, the space was a bit small though, and due to the high amount of people in the restaurant, the tables were tightly packed with people, causing a bit of discomfort. 7/10.
Chris: Cleanliness and hygiene are one of my top priorities and concerns when eating at a restaurant. Insects, stains, stray pieces of food, and unclean cutlery are a no-go. Thankfully, the majority of these threats to my existence were not present in my experience at Angus Cafe. My biggest complaint would be lining up outside the restaurant on the considerably dirty streets, which is not entirely the fault of the restaurant. 9/10.
Service
Angus: Like a normal HK-style diner, waiters here value one thing above all— service speed. Even before entering the restaurant, the waiter would already take our orders so that the moment we sat down, the food would come immediately to our tables. The thing that I was most impressed with was the cashier. Instead of working a normal cash register that automatically calculates your order’s price, she would whip out a basic calculator and handwrite the receipts. As a Gen Z with little to no aptitude in quick maths, she is in a league of her own. 9/10.
Ali: The waiter who took our order while we were queueing is one of the most skilled men I have ever gotten the pleasure of knowing. Not only is he a rare case of a person that understood what I was saying the first time (without requiring me to repeat myself slower – something that even my own family is unable to do), but the staff inside the restaurant were quick to react to my additional order placement, and I didn’t have to raise my hand for long whatsoever. 10/10.
Ronnie: The staff responded quickly and were very friendly. Most of the time I didn’t even have to ask for the cutlery; they just knew what I needed, which was nice. Yeah, it was nice. 9/10.
Chris: The service provided by the waiters and other staff at the restaurant was good. No shouting, rudeness, misconduct, and mistakes in my order to be found. 10/10.
Time
Behold! A queue.
Angus: How would I say this… ah yes, Angus Cafe is suffering from success. This is not their issue at all, but queue time is extremely long even if you go at around 1:30 PM (30 minutes before they start serving the afternoon tea menu). We began queuing at around 1:30 PM and by the time we got in, they were already serving afternoon tea. This is compensated by their quick serving time, but it is still something that you must consider. 6/10.
Ali: I’m not too bugged about the queue time seeing as the quality of the food was fine to warrant a ~20m waiting time. However, the time taken for certain food items to arrive was a little bit concerning. Particularly, the drinks (I ordered a hot milk tea) took way too long to be served, and I was over halfway finished with my meal before the drinks eventually arrived. The fact that I had ordered a second dish, and the drink that was paired with that dish came at the same time, shows an imbalance between the food and beverage sectors of the restaurant. 7/10.
Ronnie: Bit of a wait, not too bad though. 7/10.
Chris: Barely any waiting was required to get my food, but my drink took quite some time to arrive which was surprising. Furthermore, the queuing time outside the restaurant was longer than I would have liked. However, it could just be a testament to the popularity and quality of Angus Cafe, and I am a patient person. 8/10.
Extra Points
Angus: Angus Cafe’s lunch menu changes every 2 days (Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday, Friday-Saturday), with each menu being almost unique to itself. To know what set lunches are served on a particular day, you should check out their Facebook page, which would post the lunch menu before 11:00 AM. For those who hate queuing but still want to eat the Angus Cafe lunches (definitely not me), getting takeout is an effective option. You can buy lunches from Deliveroo and FoodPanda, but at marked-up prices, or directly call them with their phone number (accessible on Facebook)
Ali: They had godly chicken wings but mediocre fries
Ronnie: I have diabetes now (not related to the restaurant) /gen/srs/they/shadowthehedgehogultimatelifeform
Final Thoughts
Overall, Angus Cafe is in my biased opinion, a must-try if you are ever in Fortress Hill. Though queue times are long and the menu changes every other day, if you go early/ grab takeout, I can guarantee you that the food is incredibly delicious at a reasonable price.
For more information on their Daily lunch sets as well as other updates, you should definitely check out their webpage: Here!
Location: Causeway Bay, Wang On Rd, 宏輝大廈 北角砲台山宏安道14-28號威得閣地下
Time:
Monday to Thursday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Friday to Saturday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Closed on Sundays.