Restaurants of Malta No:14: BLUE ELEPHANT at Hilton Malta.

10th March, 2012.

The Logo.

THE BLUE ELEPHANT at the Hilton Malta.
Friday, 9th March, 2012.

Orchids in the stream.

Is this a restaurant or a Thai village? The soft sound of the cascading waterfall, water flowing under the bridge, orchids, and greenery all around, transports you to another world once you enter this exotic venue. Soft Thai music, Thai and Chinese waiters and waitresses in traditional smart costumes, soft lights, the cobbled tile flooring which gives the impression that one is walking on a village road, and private function areas inside typical Thai village huts and small houses, complete the fantastic atmosphere of this unique venue.

The Menu.

The menu at the Blue Elephant has been changed recently in fact the new menu was introduced in January of this year, and is divided in various sections as follows:

A la carte Vegeterian menu;
The Cooking of the Past a la carte menu;
The Cuisine of Today a la carte menu;
The Kitchen of Tomorrow a la carte menu.
The above menus offer traditional starters, soups and main courses typical of the food and era being covered.


Then there is the normal a la carte menu offering individual selections of starters, soups, meats, and poultry (chicken, duck and rabbit); as well as seafood and fish dishes.

The jewel in the crown of this new menu are two superb set menus suitably named:
The Bangkok Symphony Menu which is served for two persons and priced at Eur32 and with added soup Eur37.
and
The Royal Thai Banquet Menu, which also serves two persons minimum and is priced at Eur38.50 and with added soup it goes up to Eur42.

Mai Thai and Martini Cocktails.

As is normal we checked out the menus over a choice of Mai Thai and Martini cocktails at the superb bar inside the restaurant, and after a short discussion with the Thai waiter who explained the menu to us, our selection fell on the Royal Thai Banquet Menu for four persons. This turned out to be a superb choice which would satisfy the  most discerning connoisseur of European style Thai cuisine as well as those with the hearthiest of appetites as the food presented is substantial.




The Royal Thai Banquet Menu:

The Starters superbly presented.

The starter sauces.

The Starters served in this menu consist of:
Chicken Satay which is well known locally even in Chinese restaurants;
Spring Rolls Blue Elephant- genuine, thick, house made spring rolls;
Crispy fish and prawn salad;
and
Thung Pu- which is a delicious stuffed egg pastry and philadelphia cheese. Separate sauces for each item were also served.


Soup choices were:

The Tom Yam Koong Soup.

The Tom Kha Seafood soup.

3 very hot Tom Yam Koong soups for the adventurous- hot with chilis and herbs and rich with prawns;
and one Tom Kha Seafood soup, mild with seafood, coconut milk, lemon grass and galangal.



Main Courses:

The main courses served together in a magnificent display and arrangement were a feast for all the senses. Pleasant to see, exuberant in flavour and smell and exquiste in taste.

Ample servings of:

Main courses presentation.

Fruit de Mer Phuket - stir fried seafood with Nam Prik Pao and Tamarind juice;
Kai Kathem Prik Thai - stir fried chicken , coriander, garlic and pepper;
Ban Chiang - marinated sirloin of beef fried with onions, mushrooms and corn in oyster sauce;

More main course servings.

Ped Makarm - marinated duck grilled and served on a bed of seaweed, topped with sweet and sour Tamarind sauce;
Massaman Lamb - a dish typical of South Thailand consisting of lamb pieces in curry, spices, coconut milk, potatoes, rosted peanuts and cashew nuts.


To accompany the above main courses, serving of:

Rice and glass noodles.

Phad Thai Blue Elephant - glass noodles in a rich jus;
Stir Fried Asparagus with mushrooms and garlic sauce;
and

Huge Individual serving.
Selection from all the main courses.

Steamed Jasmine Rice, were served.

Individual dessert serving

The Dessert:

An exotic display of some four pieces of small Thai desserts were served as part of this set menu.






Service:
The restaurant is managed to perfection, unflusterred and efficient, and although it was a stormy and windy evening (Friday, 9th March) with gale warnings given by the media, the establishment was full with patrons in twos, fours, and largers groups.

Our table was served by two very efficient and very pleasant waitresses one hailing from Thailand and the other one from mainland China. Both spoke very good English, and served our food with that soft touch typical of their countries.

The Wine List:

Montes Pinot Noir

The wine list at the Blue Elephant is typical of the Hilton, 31 pages long, with wine selections from all the wine producing countries of the world, to suit all tastes and pockets.
Our choice of wine fell on a very good Pinot Noir from Chile priced at Eur37 and which complemented the spicy food exceptionally well as this wine is medium bodied and spicy in itself.

Value for money: The Blue Elephant cuisine choices are given and described above and from calculations we made from the menu would amount to about Eur45 to Eur55 per person for a la carte choices for food only. If one selects one of the set menus the bill would come to either Eur37 or in the case of the Royal Thai Eur42 for food only.

In as far as the Royal Thai Banquet Menu, the price of Eur42 per person for the full menu with added soups is considered to be very good value, considering the venue, the service, and the cuisine quality and presentation.
Final price per person would depend on the wine choice, pre-dinner drinks, water, and after dinner coffees ordered and consumed.

All photos published herewith have all been taken by myself and are of the actual cuisine that was served to us on our table..

REVIEWERS IMPRESSIONS:

Ambience:    Excellent.
Atmosphere: Excellent.
Cuisine Quality: Very Good.
Presentation and preparation: Excellent.
Harmony of Menu: Very Good.
Service:    Excellent.
Value for money: Very Good.
Wine List: Very Good.

Rating:  9.5/10
Highly Recommended.

The entrance.

Contact details:

Blue Elephant at the Hilton Malta,
Portomaso,
St. Julians,
Tel: 21 383 383.