Last week was my birthday. I am not one to shout this statement from the rooftops, mostly because of the age increase attached with recognizing this particular day, which just makes me go “ugh”. Every one of my friends knows this and happily respects my wishes to never mention my age and for that I thank them.
On the actual b-day I joined three close friends, BosGuy, Sergio and Kathleen for dinner at the relatively new Elephant Walk in the South End.
I have great memories of first dates in their Fenway location, which I frequented quite a lot after I moved to Boston from the UK in the late 90s. The restaurant then slipped from my mind for a good 10 years until last week and is now embedded in my brain as a place I must go back to for great food.
The South End restaurant moved into the old Boma space and it seems they didn’t really do much with the restaurant layout. I noticed a bit of a décor change and some booths added but not really much to write about. Definitely not a wow ambience.
We were seated close to the bar area at a high top table in front of the window giving me a view into small restaurant, which was quite busy on this Tuesday evening.
Our waiter, who could have also been one of the owners was incredibly knowledgeable about the drinks and wine menu as well as the French and Cambodian dinner menu. We ordered some Rosé based on his recommendation and took time to focus on the menu. Somewhat confused by what to order our waiter once again returned to our table and spent a thoughtful amount of time helping us decide.
We all ordered a number of appetizers to share plus a small plate each for our entrées. I loved the fact that most entrées offered this option. It eliminates so much waste, which is great for me as I can never eat a large dish. Not after appetizers anyway.
We enjoyed dishes of crispy pork spring rolls dipped in their special sauce, which is so tasty.
Rouleaux (available vegan) – Crispy Cambodian pork spring rolls served with greens, herbs and tuk trey for dipping – $10/5
Without question my favorite dish of the whole dinner was the shredded braised duck resting on a bed of rich and creamy polenta. This dish is ridiculous. I would have licked the plate if no-one was looking.
Polenta et canard braisé aux champignons- Duck braised in soy-ginger tamarind juice, creamy polenta, portobello mushroom, snow peas – $12
Sergio and Kathleen shared the spinach and sweet pair salad, which they hailed as delicious.
Salade d’épinards au chèvre (gluten free, available vegan) – Baby spinach, roasted sweet pear, Vermont goat cheese, caramelized onion, lemon vinaigrette, walnut, and Poire William coulis – $1 1/ 7
Our final appetizer was the delicate raw tuna with avocado and a fragrant taste of lemongrass.
Avocat Kanthor (gluten free) – Raw tuna, avocado, lemongrass, shallot, French mint, dressing with Khmer spices and peanut – $14
So far our dinner was so very very good and my birthday blues was starting to leave me to focus on outstanding flavors of our dishes.
Entrées consisted of different choices. While I didn’t taste everyone’s dish, I can echo their sentiments of how much everyone enjoyed was put in front of them.
Saiko Cha K’dau – Spicy beef tenderloin stir fry in a light, fragrant lemongrass sauce with honey dew melon, green tomatoes, Asian basil, serrano and yellow peppers – 22 / 14
I was delighted with my choice of chicken thighs in delicate lemongrass with fresh plum tomatoes and sweet pepper with a side of white rice. The small portion was perfect and I practically cleared my plate.
Poulet Malika (gluten free, available vegan with organic tofu) – Bell and Evans skinless chicken thigh in fragrant sauce of lemongrass, shallot and garlic, plum tomatoes, Asian basil, jalapeno and cubanelle peppers – $19 /13
I have nothing negative to say about the food or the service at Elephant Walk, it is all good, reasonably priced and a place everyone should venture to soon.
Not forgetting the fantastic french fries!
Thanks to my friends and of course to Elephant Walk for a perfectly low key, lovely and tasty evening.
I agree with your comments. I’ve been to the Elephant Walk three times now and each visit has been equally enticing. They are certainly consistent. I’ve only tried menu items from the Cambodian menu which I would encourage everyone who visits to try; no need to be afraid of a cuisine you may not know very well. The staff (as you said) are excellent at helping you pick something you will enjoy.