I have always thought that the Blue Elephant has been a bit of an institution and have heard many people raving about it over the years. I didn’t realise that it also seems to be a global phenomenon, starting with a solitary restaurant in Brussels but now with 11 restaurants all over the World, from Paris to Bangkok. A couple of decent local Thai restaurants alongside a slight aversion to visiting West & South West London, have delayed me from frequenting this establishment before, which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing. It is certainly worth a visit at least once, that’s for sure.

Walking into the restaurant is like entering a different world. Lush vegetation, running streams, waterfalls and wooden bridges make you feel you’ve gone into the jungle rather than a well known restaurant in Fulham. I’m still not sure whether the abundance of greenery is so over the top that it’s actually good or whether it’s just a bit too 80’s kitsch. The size of the restaurant is also impressive, although finding your way to the loos and back can be a bit of a problem. Despite the vastness, it was packed out with people, which I guess is a testament to it’s popularity.

The menu has all the Thai classics, but has a few unexpected extras on top, stir fried crocodile being one, although I didn’t see it on the menu at the time. The three of us went for a mixture of new and old, with a Chicken Satay, Samui Crab (crab & minced chicken with pineapple sauce) and a Grilled Aubergine Salad (which had prawns, minced chicken & was topped with quail eggs). The satay was good, if unexceptional and I also enjoyed both the crab and the salad. The salad lived up to it’s triple elephant billing (the number of little red elephants on the  menu next to the dish indicating it’s spiciness up to a max of 3) and was very hot, without overpowering the sweet, vinegary dressing.

Onto the mains and my two companions went for the Massaman curry and the Panaeng Kai, another curry but with chicken & sweet basil, rather than slowly braised lamb in a medium sauce. I went for the Chillied Lamb, seduced by the ‘exotic herbs and spices’ and the triple elephant rating. The lamb in the massaman was very tender, with a rich sauce and the chicken was also well spiced. My lamb was excellent, with the thai aubergines, chillies, peppercorns, lime leaves & basil all combining to create a heady  combination. We also ordered a couple of sticky rice and a Phad Thai noodles, both of which were fine.

We were all full by the end of the mains, although the taste was so nice that we kept picking at the meagre remains until the dishes were as good as licked clean.

The service was a little too efficient for my liking and there was certainly an air of wanting to get you sorted and out for the next occupants to come in (although this suited us well, being eager to get to the pub afterwards).  However, the food was, by and large, excellent and to provide that quality of food to such a large number of people at the same time is no mean feat. I can see why the Blue Elephant is so popular, but it is also a bit over priced and it is not a place where you can have an intimate meal for two. Will I visit again? Well, probably, as it is an experience which I’m sure will be fun to pass on, along with the good food, but it probably won’t be at the top of my list of places to revisit.