Rangoli

I would eat at Rangoli even if the food sucked. I would eat at Rangoli even if there was no food. Seeing the fork lounge on top of the spoon is reason enough. But lucky for me there is food and it's delicious so I can convince anyone to go.

While you are choosing what to eat I'll be admiring the fork's languid repose. I don't need to look at the menu any way. It's either the portobello mushroom and red pepper curry or the vegetable curry with two pieces of cooked jackfruit.

Jackfruit is going to be the metaphor of the moment. It looks and tastes like one thing but it's something completely different. It may seem like chicken but it's actually a fruit.

And that's the beauty of Rangoli. Lined up beside its sophisticated older sibling it looks like a Marks & Spencer but just how M&S isn't about tartan skirts and shortbread anymore but delicious raspberry-orange juice and healthy ready-to-go snacks, this box isn't immature in the least.

The food is delicious and well-developed. The flavours and textures all work so well, even the wines they have go perfectly with the spice and charm. The tables are tiny but there's space once the portions have been served and even though the chairs are reminiscent of pre-school you couldn't find anything more comfortable (unless you're super tall, then it's off to a booth for you).

The place is teeny tiny but even at its fullest it never feels crammed. If anything the fridges housing the take-away goodness gives the restaurant a balance against the somewhat open kitchen's heat. And they have a cookbook that's at $12. Less than twenty for a book written by the owner of one of the most loved resturants in Vancouver? Whoa.

Now that it's summer dinner outside is lovely. The food may get cold quicker but the tame air of South Granville and the fact that you're eating while the connoisseurs are still in line after all this time is a consolation if you're the type of person to need one.

Rangoli
1488 West 11th Avenue (at Granville)
phone (604) 736-5711
fax (604) 736-3701