i assumed it could be the pilot tube, but it looks like something else.
does anyone know why its so angled outward.

May be the fuel inlet for aerial refuelling.

See this...

It's an aerial refueling probe on the fighter jet, it goes and catches on to the tankers Drogue.

wow, thats interesting because i thought they might want to make it retractable as shown in the f-16 falcon image by iyer sir.
i just find it strange that its permanently poking out on a fighter jet. that too at an angle.

why did they not make it directly in the centre at the nose? why offset it and that too at an angle? is there a particular design reason for that?
a few design elements of the rafale really fascinate me!

See this...

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/31799/why-are-the-in-flight-refueling-probes-of-french-built-fighter-aircraft-non-retr


BTW, in the first post, it should have been 'pitot' tube, not 'pilot' tube 

thankyou very very much for the link sir.
Also almost forever i have been wrongly calling it the pilot tube . ive even told some younger enthusiasts that its the pilot tube.
I would never have guessed. you saved me future embarrassment. 

p.s that page also answered why its never there in the middle of the nose. coz waha toh radar hota hai!!