The Blue Elephant
Thai cuisine meets British fare in this Canadian restaurant — and somehow it works.
The Blue Elephant in Ontario.
“When we introduced curry dishes, it was such a different fit for this town, we didn’t know if it would work,” Pond says. “But everyone loved it. And when I tried changing the menu, everyone kept asking for them.”
Today, the Blue Elephant — blue is a lucky color in Thailand — is known as one of the most unique fine-dining establishments in Canada. Like the menu, the restaurant is split into two parts. The wood-themed Blue Elephant dining areas, open for dinner, have a Thai room decorated with elephant statuettes and Asian knickknacks and Bell’s room, which features Pond’s grandmother’s paintings. The other side of the restaurant is the more casual British-themed Tuskers Pub, which serves lunch and dinner. (Two patios are open when weather permits; the back patio is nonsmoking.)
Can’t decide whether you want five-spice chicken stir-fry or a burger? Don’t worry — the complete menu is available wherever you sit.
We recently visited the restaurant for lunch and sat in Tuskers’ gazebo-like veranda, which overlooks colorful gardens. Perusing the menu, we paid special attention to the items marked “Norfolk Feature.” These offerings, we had learned from the restaurant’s website, are made with locally grown ingredients.
“We buy produce from 25 different area farmers,” Pond told us later. “Buying local is important to me — my roots on my mom’s side were farmers. Some mornings, we get asparagus that’s just been picked 15 minutes ago. You can’t beat those kinds of vegetables for freshness and flavor.”
We began with two Norfolk Feature soups. There were plenty of flavorful sliced mushrooms in the thick and creamy oak-grown shiitake mushroom consommé ($5.25). The carrot ginger soup ($4.49) was a generously sized bowl of pureed carrots mixed with coconut milk then gently kissed with fresh ginger. On our next visit, we may choose one of the Thai-flavored appetizers like coconut shrimp ($9.99), tom yam kung soup ($4.99) and Thai egg rolls ($8.99).
We chose entrees from both sides of the menu. The steak pie ($12.95), made from local ingredients, contained tender chunks of braised beef in pastry. The dish was accompanied by a large serving of Irish champ (buttery-smooth mashed Yukon potatoes with scallions), asparagus spears and a small bowl of brown gravy for dipping.
The green chicken curry ($14.99) was spicy but didn’t cause perspiration. Served in a blue ceramic bowl, the stew was a tasty mix of chicken breast chunks, bamboo matchsticks, onions and green peppers in a creamy sauce of coconut milk and green curry. The accompanying mound of regular ol’ white rice was fluffy, but we wish it had been jasmine rice instead.
The dessert menu changes every day, with about half the offerings made in the kitchen. After some serious negotiating — crème caramel? apple crisp? — we compromised on the custard-smooth bread pudding ($6.99), topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Pond, who studied cooking and nutrition at Conestoga, Centralia and George Brown colleges and trained at the Harbour Castle Hilton, Toronto, received the Chef’s Apprenticeship Award for Canada in 1985. She is also lactose- and wheat-intolerant and sensitive to people with dietary restrictions, so the menu features many milk-free and wheat-free alternatives. Patrons with food allergies or diabetic concerns are encouraged to discuss them with the wait staff.
After our meals, we walked around the restaurant, admiring the historical pictures and the shelves of elephants, beer steins and tiny glass bottles lining the walls. “I didn’t buy any of these items,” Pond says with a laugh. “Over the years, our customers have brought them in. Even when I was living in Thailand, I never had this much Asian stuff!”
Info to Go
The Blue Elephant
96 Norfolk St. South
Simcoe, Ontario
519-428-2886
blueelephant.ca