Ox and Angela

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I am back~! A new year, a new look to the blog!!! It is much more organized and easy to navigate. I hope you like it 🙂

I was quite depressed after our Christmas trip to Las Vegas, which is not only a Sin City, but also the heaven for foodies.  It has been 2 months since we are back to Calgary and I still can’t stop thinking about the great food we had there. (preview: to share with you the hidden gems we discovered, I will post one LV restaurant review every week)

What motivated me to get back to writing the blog is the brunch we had at Ox and Angela last Sunday. The restaurant is on the 17th avenue, very close to our place. Whenever we walked past in the summer, its patios was always busy. Last weekend, we finally decided to give it a try.

The restaurant is divided into 2 sections, the Ox (the bar) and the Angela (restaurant). The bar is dimly lit and has a laid back atmosphere. The restaurant is brighter and lively with mirrors all over wall.

Ox (bar)

Ox (bar)

Angela (restaurant)

We were encouraged to order a few dishes to share as their dishes are mostly tapas sized. To save ourselves from making hard decisions, we went with the brunch table ($25 per person, min. 2 people).

For the first course, we had delicias, tortilla de espanola, and bacalao. Delicias is stuffed persian dates with Serrano, Manchego, walnut and pomegranate molasses. Surprisingly, the saltiness of the Serrano blended nicely with the sweet pomegranate molasses. The Spanish omelette, tortilla de espanola, are potatoes layered with egg mixture and served with red pepper, sour cream and green onion. The omelette was soft, but unfortunately a bit cold and plain.

Delicias (left) and Tortilla de Espanola (right)

Kev and I agreed that bacalao is our favorite first course dish. The salt cod & potato croquettes were served with lemon aioli. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside. They went well with the creamy, flavorful aioli.

Bacalao

For second course, we had ensalada, patatas bravas, and huevos benedictinos. The ensalada came with baby lettuces, toasted walnuts, apple, Manchego and sherry vinegar. Nothing is special with the salad. It was disappointing that neither the vinegar nor the apple added any flavor to it.

Ensalada

On the contrary, I quite enjoyed the patatas bravas, a traditional Spanish dish that consists of crispy fried potatoes topped with smoked paprika ketchup, garlic aioli and green onion. The crispy potatoes together with the sour, smokey ketchup– delicious!

Patatas Bravas

The huevos benedictinos is grilled sourdough eggs benedict served with sliced Serrano ham, tomato, blood orange hollandaise sauce. I found the taste of hollandaise sauce not rich enough. Kev liked the contrasting taste of the freshly chopped tomatoes and the salty Serrano ham. It was definitely an interesting tasting experience, but not my cup of tea.

Huevos Benedictinos

Lastly, we concluded our meal with panguegas. The chocolate chip pancakes were nicely done- soft and moist. Dulce de leche and whipped cream added a tint of sweetness to it.

Panguegas

Overall, we enjoyed the dining experience at Ox and Angela. It is one of the few restaurants in Calgary that I think is worth the price. (Besides, it offers complimentary filtered and sparkling water– that instantly won Kev’s approval). If it is your first time to the restaurant, it is highly recommend to try the brunch table so that you get to sample a variety of dishes and see which one you love.

My review: It is like Papa Chocolat. A little on the pricey side, but it serves quality food and provides various options on the menu from which you can order and share. I am looking forward to trying its paella next time!