Blue Elephant Restaurant

Why Blue Elephant Restaurant is special ?

Blue Elephant is certainly not your usual casual Thai dining place, but contrary to what most people think, it is not outrageously expensive (I didn't say cheap though). Keep this for a one time special dinner and consider it as an entire experience. I wrote about this amazing old mansion which was long time abandoned, and seen from the street, had the majesty and the grandeur of a house with a long and mysterious history.

You can now drive up the park alley, leave your car under the trees and proudly climb the stairs like a celebrity to enter the bar where most guests start with a cocktail.

Dining in a hundred years old governor's house, now run by the fBlue Elephant, a long established cooking school from Bangkok, adds a brand new dimension to your experience. You didn't come to eat, you came to dine. It's a great place to invite your guests or even for a romantic occasion.

Take the time to walk around the park with your glass in hand to appreciate the majesty of the Sino Portuguese architecture, shaded by immense trees that have witnessed each and every moment of it... Somehow it becomes easy to imagine how many parties where held within these walls. Then climb the stairs to the second floor and walk through the several large rooms with their dark wooden floors and the many windows so typical of this era.

Then of course it's dinner time, you will be taken through the 'Blue Elephant Gallery' to the air conditioned indoor, or the outdoor dining area. Service is impeccable, a you would expect, and room and table setting are beautifully decorated.

I could give you the full menu, but what would be the point since the menu is large and original. To help your discovery, the Blue Elephant favourites are indicated on the menu by.... Red Elephants. Anyway, I'm always tempted by the most unusual dishes: what you be the point to order a something you could have next door. And even though it certainly would be different, but name like 'Buffalo Satays' and 'Steamed fish in Bamboo' never fail to triggered my curiosity. The Lamb Curry Masaman and duck were also great. None of the dishes we tried on three occasions were spicy.

Just as a guideline, it was around 1,500 Baht per person this time, but none of us had more than a cocktail and a beer or two.

Source: http://www.phuket101.net