Please note that since writing this blog post, White Elephant has closed down
Let’s just say, when you’ve written over 500 blog posts, it starts to get a little tough to come up with new and interesting angles to talk about food… So there I was, sitting in a Chinese restaurant with my mate Chris, when he says: “Our baby is a week overdue. We’re hoping it’s going to come out tonight!”
Both restaurants were recommended to me a long, long time ago. So long ago that I now have no recollection at all of where the recommendation came from – a friend? A reader comment? Facebook? They’ve both been on my to-eat list for years, waiting for the right opportunity: me to be in the right area, in the right mood, at the right time. So let’s just say: they’re both oldies, but goodies…
Yes, this was the scene of my potential baby-related-desertion-that-never-happened. It’s an unassuming, spartan affair near the Leidseplein, and to be honest the venue itself is a bit lacking in atmosphere. The service wasn’t the friendliest either, but TIA, as the Honey Badger says… (TIA being his abbreviation for “This Is Amsterdam”, not some kind of heart attack.) The food, however, made up for all that.
We started with the usual varieties of dim sum: sieuw mai, ha kaw and friends. I wouldn’t call myself a dim sum expert, but they were as good as any I’ve had along the Zeedijk. Next, we tried the roasted Peking duck pancakes, which I’m pleased to report were excellent. The duck skin was as crisp as a winter’s morning, and the meat beneath moist and succulent. The other fillings were plentiful, though we still had a little room after our pancakes for some beef with Chinese broccoli (which, bemusingly, appeared in the vegetable dishes section of the menu). Altogether a good Chinese restaurant to have around when the need arises.
A week or two later and I was on my way out to a friend’s “Decade in the Dam” party (yes, that’s how old we’re all getting) on the Stadhouderskade, so we stopped off for dinner at White Elephant beforehand. A quick glance tells you that White Elephant is one of the fancier Thai restaurants in town – its interior is positively lavish in comparison with that of Taste of Culture. The service was better, too. (Not that those things always – or even often – correlate.)
Again, we ordered a couple of starters to share: this time, fish cakes and corn… balls? I hesitate to call them corn cakes or corn fritters, because they were entirely spherical, but you get the idea. They both came with their own little dipping sauces, and both were fragrant and delicious. Especially with a cool glass of Pinot Blanc on a Friday night.
But the mains were what really set White Elephant apart: instead of the usual red-curry-green-curry-panang-rendang selection, the menu promised duck with lychees and tamarind sauce, shrimp with lemongrass and galangal, and the interestingly named “Crying Tiger”. All three dishes were lighter than traditional Thai restaurant fare (which in my case essentially just means I’m able to eat more). The Crying Tiger did not disappoint: a plate of perfectly seared beef arrived, with a hot and sour sauce (which merited a full three elephants on the menu – denoting the hottest of dishes!) and a veritable painter’s palette of fresh vegetables. I couldn’t stop eating it.
My friend’s husband was less impressed with the next morning’s garlic breath, but I didn’t notice a lot of garlic heat at the time – I only dread to think how the party guests afterwards survived a conversation with us. Hey-ho, that’s what you get for inviting the Amsterdam Foodie to a party, eh?!