Thai Elephant Restaurant and Dim Sum (Da Hong Pao) — Restaurant in London

It may just blend into the background from the outside but Thai elephant is without a doubt one of the best dining out restaurants for Thai cuisine, for miles around. They offer a great which is closer to an a la carte style, than it is to a buffet. There are no wasteful cutlery practises as napkins are not horrible paper sheet but instead are reusable and super soft, they are normally folded into a fan and the whole table is set before you are seated, this include reusable plastic chopsticks, rather than disposable, cheap wooden ones. It is always a good experience coming into the Thai Elephant as the service is usually very good and food is always to a great standard and the last venture there did not disappoint. The way the menu works is that for one set price of around £17.00 per adult you can order as many items as you want of the menu which has over 100 different items. The meal is usually split into starter, a duck course (which is usually offered after ordering starters) , main course and then dessert. In terms of the taste and presentation the food is AMAZING. If you like Thai cuisine you will love this place, they do also offer a selection of other cuisines such as Indonesian, Malaysian, and Chinese. Everything is so full of flavour and always fresh, the ribs just fall of the bone and the tofu is coated in flavour and crispy on the outside. There are certain items that I have not tried yet as there are so many its almost impossible to try everything however this restaurant is definitely a great experience if you are looking to try new foods as you’ll have over 100 to choose from. The duck course is always amazing with a nice amount of duck being provided for two along with plenty of pancakes, spring onions, cucumber and of course hoisin sauce. The portion sizes do change depending on the size of the party, for example if there are four of you there may be four PAN DAN KAI portions whereas for two people you will receive two PAN DAN KAI portions, this may seem obvious but it does mean that it’s difficult to give an accurate view of the portion sizes overall, however as a party of two the portion sizes have NEVER been too little if anything they have got it spot on and you can always just order more of any one item, if wanted to. This also saves on waste, so bonus points from me. The service is usually great with staff often keep their distance from the tables until needed and don’t pester you whilst eating, the only time that service can become slow is when they are really busy but this is to be expected and cannot really be helped. The staff often give great advice on food items on the menu and give suggests based on your taste preference. On our most recent trip I ordered a drink and the glass appeared to have fluff on the inside and after I showed it to them it, both the glass and drink were replaced without an issue. My only issues are not related to the food or service but the drinks menu could benefit from having a wider selection of beers, however the current selection is in theme with the restaurant cuisine so this choice makes sense but some more choice that fits would be a great addition. The only other issue is that the decor inside and out could do with a little sprucing up, there is a great variety of paintings and items that are great and give off a good tone but the walls in general could do with a bit of paint, and a little bit of TLC for the outside.

My personal favourite dishes are

Starters - PAN DAN KAI, Tempura Mix (Veg, Prawns and Mushrooms) and Tofu

Mains - TOM YUM Soup and Beef Rendang

Dessert – Banana Fritters...

I've tried the evening buffet menu and also the afternoon dim sum menu. The food was great on both occasions. If you've never had dim sum before, rest assured the menu is also in english and when you sit, it's already on the table waiting for you to just tick off what you want. As with most Chinese restaurants, be brave when you want their attention as they prefer to let you enjoy your food in peace. We really liked everything that involved roast pork and were surprised at how good the mixed meat ho fun was. They also do a superb turnip paste with just the right amount of crispyness for my taste. I enjoyed most of the dishes on the evening menu too and would highly recommend the satay beef and the Japanese tempura (prawn and vegetables) in particular.

The only reason I haven't given this place a 5 star is because the interior could do with an update. It doesn't make the best first impression but the food definitely makes up for it. As Ali Wong says, if you walk into an Asian restaurant and the interior is questionable, you know the food is going...

Fantastic food and excellent service from staff that go above and beyond. We have been dining at this restaurant for well over a decade now and the food is always delicious.

A good selection of dishes and while the food on the evening menu isn't necessarily traditional Chinese fare (with lots of dishes designed to appeal to a western palette as with the menus of many other similar restaurants locally!) it is always fresh, tasty and served piping hot with a smile. The servers even remember aspects of our usual order despite only visiting infrequently and greet us warmly each and every time.

The hot and sour soup, salt and pepper squid, spare ribs (coated in a tangy and rich sauce) and Singapore vermicelli are definitely highlights...