Blue Elephant

Elaborate Thai restaurant with meal deals 1 Reviews

Meal Deal

Royal Thai Night

Dhs159 buffet with drinks (Tuesday, Saturday)

© ITP Images

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

In a city legendary for enforcing suspended disbelief at every turn, the Blue Elephant is yet another example of endearingly barmy wish fulfilment. Can’t afford a ticket to Bangkok? Never mind, you’ll find a made to measure chunk of Thai paradise within the Al Bustan Rotana.

Sadly the impressive venue is let down by some slipshod work in the kitchen. Stir-fried seafood shouldn’t be the most difficult dish to get right, but this one is rather flaccid – mushy scallops, whiffy squid and cumbersome crab claws making for an irritatingly overegged dish.

Also disappointing is the stir-fried fillet of beef with green peppercorn and garlic sauce, which is overwhelmed by a citrussy hammerblow of lemongrass. A lighter and more assured touch is shown in the chicken satay starter, and a vermicelli salad is full of zing, but the stunning setting and first-rate service is never matched by the food itself.

By Jeremy Lawrence

• Previous reviews
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 22 March,2006- reviewed by Matthew Lee
  • 01 July,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 July,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 September,2001- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.

Posted by: Typhoons on 03 Jul ' 09 at 04:20

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

We visited the Blue Elephant last night and while we did not have a reservation, we requested a table for two. This was not our first time in this restaurant and previously we had always reserved a table beforehand, but the restaurant had always had tables empty. So while it was a spur of the moment decision to dine there, we decided to just turn up and take a chance.

We were informed that we could have table but for a maximum 90 minutes, however the restaurant was nearly empty. While it was a buffet we were not looking for a 100 mile an hour Premier League match action, but more a sedate meander through Thai cuisine, with no clock ticking against us.

So we declined and walked away and decided to spend our hard earned cash elsewhere. Times are tough in Dubai, and while the Blue Elephant offers all you can eat and drink, it should not be at the expense of customer service, satisfaction and the general dining experience.

Doing buffet theme nights four nights a week, suggests the ala carte menu is not very good and certainly not a patch on the Blue Elephant in London. On previous visits the food has always been ok but never amazing. There are far superior options for Thai food in Dubai, which offer better value for money and service.

And we will never return to this ageing matriarch

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