Elephant Thai Cafè And Restaurant — Restaurant in Nowra

As posted to Trip Advisor ....

First visit to this establishment and rest assured it will be the last.

I asked if the Calamari salad was the equivalent of Yum Pla Muek which at first I was told it was ... then I was told that the "calamari" is battered instead of steamed as it would be with authentic Yum Pla Muek - no problem I thought I'd give it a go - in relation to this dish the squid was basically non existent - 8 pieces in total with a sliver of squid inside each severely overly battered piece. The salad component was definitely no better - it was completely evident upon plating the takeaway that the salad consisted of nothing more than a supermarket bought Coleslaw mix straight out of the packet ... as were the few mixed lettuce leaves. The sauce was no more than Trident (or similar) sweet chilli sauce possibly mixed with a hint of bottled lemon juice and was in a separate container.

Overall the "Calamari" salad was a disgrace - I would have been more than willing to fork out the $20 if at least it somewhat resembled an authentic Thai Yum Pla Muek which if anyone working there ever happens to read this review would consist of the following ingredients at the very least - a fresh salad including cucumber and possibly a little more than a single cherry tomato sliced in half as you presented me, steamed squid, fresh chilli and freshly squeezed lemon juice which makes the "sauce" with this being placed onto the meal to flavour the whole lot.

The soft shell crab was once again accompanied by a small container of sweet chilli sauce, again obviously straight out of the Trident bottle. The "pieces", of which there were meant to be six, had literally fallen apart as they were severely over cooked to the point where any hint of crab was destroyed by the slight charcoal flavour backed by nothing but a drowning in oil.

I consider the $40 we spent on a quick takeaway after a very long trip an absolute loss - I can say that the staff were friendly and the restaurant itself it very well presented. I obviously cannot comment on all of this establishments dishes, unfortunately though, on the basis of the food that we made the mistake of ordering, I would not be recommending this to anyone.

With another Thai restaurant no more than 100 metres up the road, which I will test and give the same scathing review of should they also prove to be sub par, I would have thought that the announcement of authentic Thai food would have been met with ... well ... the presentation of authentic Thai food.

Enough...

I am leaving a Review regarding a recent food delivery we received from elephant Thai cafe and restaurant Nowra.

We specifically requested (under allergy requests) that the dishes contain no chili or spice due to my partner’s severe allergy to chili. upon receiving the order, it was evident after my partner had taken a bite that chili had been included in the dish, and my partner suffered a serious allergic reaction as a result, which required hospitalization. In addition to this, I noticed that the dish was largely sauce with very little meat, which was quite disappointing given the price we paid. Furthermore, when I sought a refund and tried to explain the situation, the staff member who delivered the food argued with me at the door. I also noticed that on the receipt, our request to exclude chili due to allergies had been marked and highlighted off, which makes this situation even more alarming as they had clearly not followed our request and ignored the allergy.

This experience has not only caused distress and harm but also raised serious concerns about the restaurant’s handling of dietary/allergy requests and food safety. Allergies are a serious matter, and proper attention must be given to ensure the health and safety of their customers.

I requested a refund for the order in which they did for only the price of that dish in which we were also incorrectly charged and paid a different price as to what they advertise online.

We won’t be ordering from here again as I feel there was also a lack of care, and empathy from the restaurant and the lady who returned the refund

If I could place a no star I would very...

First time eating from here and I have to say, it was the best takeaway experience I've had in a long time. My co-worker Jane often grabs the satay chicken sticks and curry puffs, and though it always smelt lovely, I never had the chance to try for myself until today.

I'll start with the service. I came in around 1pm today (3.12.21), and though the restaurant was busy, There was no wait to get to the till. Once I had, I was served by two lovely staff, one in a orange shirt, and one with purple hair who Jane has told me is called Tina. I didn't know what to order, and Tina helped me through it, being kind all the way. I ended up with the chicken satay and rice, and an entree of curry puffs. The wait was only ten minutes, negligible during the lunch rush in the centre of town, and when the food came out, It was neatly packaged, and given with a nice goodbye.

The food itself was lovely as well. The satay has the appropriate amount of kick and flavour without becoming spicy, and when joined with the boiled rice is absolutely beautiful. Vegetables were noticeably fresh, and all contributed well to the meal. The curry puffs were absolutely gorgeous, with a crisp crust with NO grease at all, while still maintaining a moist and tasteful centre. Wonderful with the complementary sweet chilli sauce as well.

All in all, a wonderfully filling meal with great service and an even greater price.

Should the staff read this review, I was Shay, in the checkered shirt and red lanyard. I said i would give feedback and now i have! :) I want you to know you did a wonderful job, and I'll definitely be coming...