Blue Elephant

There is a great surprise nestled amidst the numerous high-rise construction projects underway on Sathorn Road. Just at the bottom of the BTS Surasak Station exit sits Blue Elephant in an absolutely charming 100 year-old renovated house that the owners have restored to a pristine condition.

ROB Review - Blue Elephant - Gallery

At Blue Elephant no detail is overlooked-- expect impeccable service, ambiance, and innovative food. In the restaurant’s remarkable surroundings, diners will enjoy authentic Thai cuisine, influenced by the creativity of Blue Elephant’s well-traveled, award winning owner and chef, Madame Nooror. Consistently good food, exceptionally good service and unique presentation make Blue Elephant a stand-out and a Bangkok up-market dining institution.

Blue Elephant features a full-menu from appetizers to dessert and wine. For starters, we recommend the Doi Kham Eggplant Salad- delicious! The dish is the result of Chef Nooror’s collaboration with the Royal Project Farms and offers a complex mix of herbal spiciness along with purple eggplants grown on Doi Inthanon in Chang Mai province, bell peppers and grilled scallops topped with a drizzle of truffle oil. It is also available in a vegetarian version upon request.

Two more highlights are Madame Nooror’s Labb Salmon-- in which she uses a mélange of raw salmon, lemongrass and a generous mix of herbs-- and her Foie Gras Tamarind Sauce—French goose liver served with a sensual tamarind sauce and sweet potato and basil.

For the main course, it is difficult to go wrong, though there are some notable “must try” signature dishes- all of which are remarkably original and innovative- Madame Nooror has taken traditional Thai favorites and made them her own, serving them up on plates almost too beautiful to eat from. First, the Massaman Lamb- an old southern recipe so good that it inspired King Rama II to write a poem about it. Madame Nooror and her staff present an equally inspired version today with their spiced tender lamb curry- a rich and nutty delight.

For curry lovers, don’t stop there! The Crab Curry with Betel Leaves is a Phuket specialty dish that you’d be remiss not to try. For the health conscious diner, at Blue Elephant there is no health/taste trade-off. In fact, one of the healthiest dishes is also one of the most delectable—the Fresh Tiger Prawns Black pepper with calcium-rich lemongrass and cholesterol reducing black pepper. All meals are served with Organic Brown or Jasmine rice.

Blue Elephant has taken special care to create mouth-watering, homemade sweets as a feast finale. For dessert, try the Ginger Crème Brule- with the familiar hard caramelized sugar top, the creamy body texture, and a nice surprise for the palate with the slightly spicy ginger infusion. It is served in a coconut shell with fresh whip cream on the side. The Durian Cheesecake is also brilliant (even if you are not a durian lover). It is beautifully presented and accompanied by homemade ice cream.

One of the challenges of eating at Blue Elephant is choosing from the variety of menu items, as they are all so good. To make it a little easier, the chefs have prepared a Royal Thai Banquet Menu that includes four starters, soup, four main courses, two accompaniments and a selection of homemade dessert- all for 1,500-1,650 baht per person net. They also offer a Rainy Menu, which includes several dishes for 1,250 baht net and includes a bottle of wine for every two sets ordered. The set lunch menu for 390 baht net includes three courses.

Blue Elephant was partially renovated in 2000, and is beautifully decorated in array of authentic Thai handicrafts and artwork; the building has now been totally revitalized and restored by Blue Elephant for its wondrous rebirth as the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School. At the cooking school, students can learn to prepare the dishes that have made Blue Elephant world famous.

Blue Elephant is known by food lovers the world over for its authentic Thai taste, its consistently high standards of quality, and its promotion of the best in Thai culture. The recipient of numerous awards, Blue Elephant has been at the forefront of bringing Royal Thai cuisine and the beauty of Thai culture to people around the world while striving to benefit Thailand and the Thai people.

ROB Review - Blue Elephant - Gallery