February 29th, 2012
The original Blue Elephant restaurant was opened in 1980- nearly 32 years ago- in Brussels, Belgium by Thai national Khun Nooror Somany Steppe and her Belgian husband, Mr. Karl Steppe. With the passion of Khun Nooror’s cooking clearly evident, the authentic Thai Royal cuisine was immediately appreciated by a discerning European clientele. The popularity of the first restaurant led to the opening of a second restaurant in London in 1986, and subsequent openings in Paris and Copenhagen laid the foundations for further openings over the years throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia- with a current total of 12 restaurants in the group.
The concept behind Blue Elephant is to serve the finest quality Royal Thai cuisine, whilst also showcasing the heritage of Thai culture to a global audience. All the Blue Elephant restaurants are decorated in a distinctive Thai style featuring authentic Thai handicrafts and artwork. Substantial proportions of the menu ingredients are sourced in Thailand and flown fresh several times weekly to all the restaurant locations.
International success and acclaim ultimately led Khun Nooror to return to her Thai homeland in 2002, and after securing and restoring the historic Thai-Chine building in central Bangkok, the Blue Elephant Cooking School & Restaurant was opened. Ten years later, the Bangkok restaurant continues to delight guests with the elegant ambiance of the historic building and the finest quality Royal Thai cuisine created under the “hands-on” personal supervision of Chef Nooror. And the added element of the Cooking School has been a huge success, with daily classes introducing participants into the intricacies of the preparation and cooking of Royal Thai cuisine.
The historic Thai-Chine building of 1903 that now houses Blue Elephant Bangkok
Table settings in the main ground floor dining room
The historic Thai-Chine building, that is now the home of Blue Elephant, was originally built on its Sathorn Road site as a department store serving the exclusive riverside residential neighborhood, and within walking distance of the famed Oriental Hotel. Subsequently the building came under the ownership of the Thai Chinese Chamber of Commerce, with an interlude during World War II when it was taken over by the Japanese Army as its Command Centre. After construction of a new tower to hold the Thai Chinese Chamber, the building has been carefully restored to its colonial era splendour- and now serves as the functioning home of Blue Elephant Bangkok.
The Restaurant and Cooking School occupy the entire three levels of the building, with the ground floor space consisting of a main dining room divided by a central passageway, and several additional private dining rooms. In an alcove at the foot of the main staircase to the upper floors is the Blue Elephant Shop which showcases the range of Blue Elephant branded cooking ingredients that are marketed in fine-food sections of department stores world-wide. The first floor features the Blue Bar in the front room, and further substantial dining rooms that are popular for private and corporate functions. On the upper second floor is the Cooking School- with a demonstration and classroom on one side, and a large Practise Room with full length cooking stations on the other side.
The interior decoration has faithfully followed the original colonial era architectural style of the building, with extensive use of timber panelling, floor boards, and the distinctive folding window shutters. Furniture pieces are all locally made from dark timbers in traditional designs- and the dining settings evoke the elegance and sophistication of a privileged elite.
Antique timber wall panelling, window shutters and furniture in the main dining room
Large private dining room at front section of the ground floor space
Staircase leading to upper floors
The Blue Bar at the front section of the first floor
Elegant first floor dining room
Colorful eponymous painting on wall of first floor dining room
The culinary achievements of Chef Nooror have been widely acclaimed, and the Royal Thai cuisine served by her Blue Elephant restaurants has been the recipient of numerous awards. Maintaining a consistent excellence across a network of 12 restaurants for over 30 years is an outstanding accomplishment and is a fine testament to the enduring passion of the founder. In addition to the authentic recipes of the traditional Thai cuisine, Chef Nooror is also at the forefront of innovations in contemporary Thai cuisine, creating new dishes inspired by the global influences she has encountered in a lifetime of cooking experiences- both in Thailand and overseas.
“Royal Thai cuisine” is categorized broadly as representing the style of dishes that were traditionally served in the Royal palaces of Thailand. Although many of the recipes are similar to the everyday Thai food that can be found in the abundant small restaurants and street stalls found in any Thai town or city, what sets apart Royal Thai cuisine are the details of the preparation and serving of the dishes, and the careful selection of only the finest fresh ingredients. Additionally, Royal Thai cuisine typically does not exhibit the extremes of flavours that can be found in some Thai street food- dishes have a balance of spiciness, sweetness and sourness. The extensive menu at Blue Elephant features dishes categorized under three groupings- “Thai Cooking of the Past” which are recreations of dishes from the culinary traditions of Thailand; “Thai cooking of Today” which represent contemporary Thai dishes; and “Thai Kitchen of Tomorrow” – innovative dishes created by Chef Nooror. The impressive assemblage of dishes under the three categories provides diners with a diversity of choices from which to make their selections- and a “hotness” rating for the spicy dishes helps diners stay within their “comfort” zone.
An excellent way to experience fully the range of flavours and dishes is to order from the “Royal Thai Banquet Menu”. The carefully balanced collection of dishes for sharing ( minimum 2 persons- cost per person of THB1,650 with soup ) provides choices of starters, soups, main dishes, accompaniments, and desserts. Additionally there is the “Royal Thai Symphony Menu” which offer a more limited selection of dishes than the “Banquet Menu”- but at a lower cost of THB1,300 per person (with soup)- for minimum of two persons. A separate “Vegetarian Menu” completes the menu selections.
Chef Nooror – at her demonstration cooking station at the Blue Elephant Cooking School on the second floor
From Thai Kitchen of Tomorrow menu- DOI KHAM EGGPLANT SALAD- Inspired by her collaboration with the Royal Project vegetables and herbs Farms at Doi Inthanon, Chef Nooror created a purple eggplant salad with grilled scallops, herbal spiciness and a hint of truffle
From Thai Kitchen of Tomorrow Menu- NOOROR’S THAI-BELGIAN CROQUETTE- A sublime mélange where Belgium meets Thailand – wrapped organic prawns of Chantaburi enhanced by cheese and green curry paste. This dish is accompanied with crispy parsley from the Royal Project Farm
From Thai Cuisine of Today menu- CRISPY GROUPER WITH THREE-FLAVORED SAUCE – Deep-fried crispy sea bass topped with a homemade Prachuab Khirikhun pineapple, garlic and chili sauce
From Thai Cooking of the Past menu – MASSAMAN LAMB– From the far South of Thailand a tender lamb curry of dried spices in coconut milk, Thai sweet potatoes and succulent roasted peanuts and cashew nuts. This dish was described in a poem by King Rama II
From the Signature Cocktails menu- “Pattaya”– Fresh Orange, Pineapple, Mango and Guava Juice
From the Signature Cocktails menu- “Blue Mai Thai”- Vodka, Blue Curacao, Exotic fresh fruits
The popular Blue Elephant Cooking School is located on the upper level of the building with fully equipped cooking stations in the Practise Room, and an adjoining Instruction Room for theory and presentations. The schedule offers daily both Morning Classes and Afternoon Classes (excluding Sundays). The classes run for approximately 4 hours and the schedule includes a morning visit to nearby Bang Rak morning market where students a guided in the selection of fresh produce as ingredients for the cooking lesson. A theory class is then followed by the hands on cooking instruction with each student having their own table and wok. Four dishes are typically prepared- and following completion of the classes the culinary creations are then tasted and enjoyed in the downstairs Blue Elephant Restaurant. The afternoon classes do not include the market visit- by=ut an additional dessert dish is added.
The Blue Elephant Cooking School is an enticing attraction for both tourists and local residents. The classes are conducted in a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, and being very popular, bookings are essential ( see link below for on-line bookings).
Preparing dishes inside the Practise Room of the Cooking School
Chef Nooror overseeing the preparations in the Cooking School Practise Room
Blue Elephant Cooking School & Restaurant, Bangkok
Address: 233 South Sathorn Road, Kwaeng Yannawa, Khet Sathorn, Bangkok. 10120. Thailand
BTS: Surasak- direct access from the station
Reservations: +66.2. 673 9353
Website: blueelephant.com/bangkok/
On-line Booking: http://blueelephant.com/bangkok/booking/
Facebook Page: Blue Elephant Cooking School & Restaurant
Restaurant Opening hours: Open daily
Lunch 11:30 am ~ 02:30 pm Dinner 06:30 pm ~ 10:30 pm
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Cooking School information: http://blueelephant.com/cooking-school/
Morning classes start at 0:8:30am and Afternoon classes commence at 01:30 pm
