My Elephant

Tucked in the back corner on the ground floor of one of the Happy Mansion blocks of low-cost flats in Section 17 Petaling Jaya, My Elephant was the brainchild of a group of university graduates. The small restaurant adopts simple decor of glass panels that allow one to see through to the inside of restaurant. Its tables are of basic shape of square and rectangle and wooden mixed with aloy chairs. A set of comfy looking sofa at the right next to the entrance allow a laidback mood, perhaps for a drink and snacks but might not be too comfortable for proper dining.

Our second visit to this place, we had dinner with Fai and Connie as they had been asking about its whereabouts. This round, we ordered six dishes as opposed to four the first Adrian and I were there; two being salads.

Red rice served with dishes



Tod man plah, deep-fried Thai fish cakes served with sweet sour chilie dipping was priced at RM8 for five pieces. These were fresh and good, with just the right thickness and bursting with lemongrass fragrance.

For RM10, Yum Mamuang was green mango salad with shredded carrots, onions, pounded chilies in spicy dressing and served with lettuce, sliced cucumbers and and roasted peanuts. The salad was spicy and sour and would have been a turn-off for those who are unable to tolerate such level of spiciness. Too much pounded chillies camouflaged the mango fragrance in my opinion as one who loves mango salad. The ones at Baan26 and Ceylon Hill are much better and less spicy. Nevertheless, for the price, the portion was worthwhile.

Tempura Squid served with semi sweet Thai sauce was mediocre. The upside was that the squids were fresh, coated with thin batter and the portuion was reasonable for price of RM18.

This version of Laab Gai, northern Thai style of sauteed minced chicken with chillie-lime-mint dressing and freshly crushed peanuts was not too bad though the one at Sri Siam was better and refreshing. For RM14, it was a good portion for four.

Khai Jiao Ho Mok, priced at RM12, was special egg omelette with fish otak-otak and it was something different. Not too oily, it was quite tasty and juicy. The special thin sweet sour sauce (more sour than sweet) that came with the dish was really good and complemented the omelette very well.

Tom Som was clear galangal-lemongrass-lime soup with aromatic Thai herbs, which was recommended to be served with fish although chicken was also available. The large portion was priced at RM20 and small for RM15. We had the large serving, which was more than enough for four with reasonable appetite.

Paku with sambal, onions and dried shrimps was our choice for My Elephant's Jungle vegetable of the day. Fresh and crunchy, the RM 12 paku dish was quite delicious, with the right hint of taste and saltiness.

Small restaurant with simple modest dining tables and chairs

In one corner of the restaurant lies a raised concrete platform for those who fancy getting cosy sitting on the floor, with a glass panel wall that faces a small fish pond. At the bottom of the glass panel, on the inside of the restaurant, there is an open gap that offers a sneek peek at the koi that steal a gulp of air or two before happily gliding away. One could even dip own feet into the water.

My Elephant

Block C - G4 Happy mansion

Jalan 17/13

Section 17

46400 Petaling Jaya

Tel:

Patrick 012-328 5028

James 019-360 8911

Soong 019-379 5759

Kom 016-345 9298

www.myelephant.com.my

Reservation is highly encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Business hrs:

Tue-Sun (except Sat & Sun Lunch)

Lunch: 12noon-2.30pm

Dinner: 6pm-10pm

Baan26

Adrian and I were in the heart of the city one Sunday afternoon, and we decided to take a look at the dining spots along Changkat Bukit Bintang. Traffic of course was not too bad, and it was quiet along that road which is usually packed with tourists and party-goers on weekdays, especially in the night.

We spotted this ordinary and modest looking restaurant, Baan26 and took a look at the menu. Lover of mango kerabu, my eyes lit up and we walked in. We had the place to ourselves and with Thai love ballads in the background, we happily chatted away after ordering couple of snacks and drinks.

The place had interesting, antique-looking decors. Old fashioned electrical fan and radio, china pots and cups, and mini blood red glass chandelier. The concept and theme was a mix of Western, Chinese and Indochinese.

Mango kerabu with dried shrimps was really good, with just the right intensity of sourness and spiciness. Shredded mango served with peanuts, shredded carrot, sliced onions, freshly cut bird's eye chillies and dried shrimps, with sweet-sour lime dressing and garnished with shredded carrots and parsley.

Thai fish cakes with chillie dip was good. Bite-size fish cakes that were served hot, fresh and soft with cucumbers and dried chillies.

Umm hum...


Ice ginger tea with fresh ginger. Great thirst quencher, it was a refreshing and fragrant drink, which tasted just right.

A modest floor space on the front for about 8-9 tables

Some of the ornaments and decorative pieces at various parts of the small restaurant

Good Evening Bangkok

One of the restaurants that Adrian and I return to many times as we enjoy its consistently good food. Located in 1 Utama at the Rainforest wing on the ground floor, Good Evening Bangkok sits in a corner on the floor, facing the LDP, sporting a theme of black and red.

The restaurants sometimes run good promotions for HSBC cardmembers, offering reasonably good price for set lunch and dinner. The last visit was few months back, and we took advantage of the promotion. Our dinner bill for dinner was slightly over RM50 inclusive of drinks, which by the way were at non-promtional price.

Sweet mango kerabu with dried shrimps, sliced onions, shredded carrots and chopped chives in sweet and sour dressing with lingering spiciness.

Bread crumb coated fried prawns with sweet and sour dip with dried chillie seeds and grated coconut.

Baby kailan with salted fish, and a sprinkle of fried garlic.

Red Curry Chicken with sliced red chillies, long beans, aubergine, garnished with a dash of coconut milk cream and basil shoots.

Sweet Basil Restaurant

My expectation of a Thai restaurant was that appetiser such as mango kerabu was a must on its menu. It was on the menu of Sweet Basil Restaurant in SS2, on the same row as the former Informatics College, which had long turned into a place called The Cave. I would order this appetiser at each Thai restaurant that I try, and when I asked for it, it was not available. My heart sank with disappointment, and I could not hold my tongue to sarcastically comment to the waiter on the non-availability. In its place was the Thai fish cakes.

Thai fish cake with lemongrass and french beans would have been a lot better had they been thinner. The chopped french beans in the cakes had played down the fragrance of lemongrass and rendered them bit chinesey.

Chicken tom yum was reasonably good as it was not too spicy, which diners with lower tolerance would enjoy.

Asparagus with chillie and shrimp paste was not too bad and good thing the asparagus was not too soft.

Sliced beef and basil in oyster sauce was really good. Beef was tender and succulent and well flavoured by basil.



Red ruby waterchestnut was the saving grace to my dinner as the shaved ice was extremely fine that it melted in the mouth the moment was each spoonful entered.

Sri Siam

This basic humble looking homestyle restaurant has been around for many years in SS2 PJ (corner lot, on the same row as Eng Seng Heng (ESH) on the other end) , with regular patrons frequenting the place pretty often. Garnered numerous good comments from many diners, it was time to try it out.

Grinded red and green bird's eye chillies was good; spicy and appetising

Kerabu Mango was not too bad, it would have been better with bit more sourness added to it and the shredded mango crunchier.

Though ordinary, the stir-fried bean sprouts with salted fish was well done.

Sri Siam soup was clear, spicy and sour soup with mixed seafood of squids, prawns, and fish. Serving was perfect, no more, no less.

Larb gai was an unusual refreshing and interesting chicken dish served with mint leaves, sliced onions, cubed cucumber and lime juice dressing.

Red ruby waterchestnut dessert was good with lots of the red rubies and the right tinge of sweetness. A great end to dinner, anytime.

June Thai

Adrian and I spotted this place under renovation when we visited Claypot Brothers in TTDI and we made it a point to try its menu out when it opened. Located just few doors away from Claypot Brothers, this white-lavendar themed Thai restaurant set a soft and feminine ambience with its simple, clean look. White walls with soft yellow lights. Simple furnishings and dining sets. The theme colours also ran through its menu and cutlery holders.

The walls however, we thought were not well lined with sound proofing, hence when the place was running full house, the volume of chit-chats could be a turn-off. Cushion seats would have probably been better noise absorbers.

June Thai Special was quite a concoction. A durian-flavoured mixture with evaporated milk, green & red jellies, few strips of jack fruit and pieces of longans. Quite a refreshing thirst quencher.

Top hats (Pai tee) were served with stewed shredded turnip, mushrooms with dried shrimps and shredded cucumber. The cup pastry was bit thick and soggy. It would have been a lot better had they been thin and crispy. Missing was the chillie sauce that should be topping the pai tee.

Pai tee fillings made of shredded turnip, carrot, mushrooms and dried shrimps

Mango salad with fried cat fish (fried fish floss). The sweet, sour and spicy dressing and fried cat fish were served separately, which were to be mixed with shredded mango, onions, carrots, dried shrimps and peanuts.

Thai fried fish cakes were served with chillie and pineapple dips. The cakes were quite thin, and a little dry and hard for my liking. The pineapple dip sauce added interesting taste and complemented the chillie dip quite well.

Seafood tom yum was quite good, with the right serving portion

Sweet and sour lychee chicken was deep-fried chicken strips served with canned lychees, which were tender and quite succulent. The downside was that the batter taste was not well camouflaged by the sticky sweet and sour sauce that coated the chicken strips.