Have You Tried My Elephant @ Section 17?
June 30, 2011 | 21,010 viewsAn eclectic fusion of colours @ My Elephant in Happy Mansion, Section 17, PJ
Didn’t I drop a hint sometime ago, on how this soldiering passion to uncover all the good gems (and some mediocrity thrown in for balance) around Section 17 will not be extinguished that easily?
Yes, and I am still much on track. My Elephant‘s the name of this not-so-hidden gem located at the ground floor of Happy Mansion; a chirpy, optimistic moniker for dilapidated blocks of flats in Section 17. They claim to serve quality Thai food with a healthy twist, and the chef hails from Chiang Rai in northern Thailand.
And thus, was this Thai feast experience suffice to nurture this perpetually craving soul?
Mieng Kam; the famous Thai appetizer to warm the palate – A plethora of colours; texture and burst of interesting flavours wrapped in betel leaves.
First of all, remember to make a reservation. Especially when you’re dining in a larger group (>4 pax). Since space is a luxury here; and at the end of our meal we witnessed people seated on the outside, queuing for a vacant table within. This was a Friday night, hence more or less expected.
Unless you’re oblivious to My Elephant‘s almost cult-like popularity, and wondering how on earth do people know about this inconspicuous Thai restaurant tucked in the middle of a residential area?!
Lightly fried dessicated coconut, ginger, bird’s eye chillies, roasted peanuts, raw onions and dried shrimps all placed on a single layer of betel leaf (daun kadok); but not before lining the surface with a swipe of Thai sweet chili sauce with sesame seeds.
The ambience brought to mind a fusion cafe; with a modern touch, predominant shades of monochrome being the theme. There was one corner with orange cushions (complete with Chairman Mao’s mug emblazoned on it!), psychedelic lighting from the hovering lantern lamp above, a replica of a dried tree bark, and a see-through window to the exterior environment of the old flats.
We were seated on a long table (there were 7 of us), on stools painted in stark black colour. Sharing of food was a hassle though, given the distance from one corner to another. Hence this encourages passing of dishes (and ‘silaturrahim’ etc) but eventually we got tired and ate whatever that was placed in front of us.
But minor gripes all these ….. don’t take my words for it.
Citron Cooler – Signature drinks with a stalk of lemongrass (yikes!), screwpine leaf (pandan), and half a calamansi (lime) for added zing. Sorry, I forgot what this was, but I think supposed to be a combination of cooling cucumber or something.
Thai Iced Coffee – No prize for guessing which caffeine addict had this.
And good thing we reserved our table, and proceeded to order from the menu after the whole group arrived. Almost in succession, the place started to fill up after 7pm, and reached a pinnacle at about 8pm. The temperature warmed to a considerable extent; a surprise since the place was fully air-conditioned and with ceiling fans to boot.
Maybe the open kitchen promoted heat convection?
Enough of blabbering, let’s get on to the FOOD.
Health-conscious enough, you don’t get Thai fragrant white rice but instead a combination of jasmine and brown rice.
Panang Gai – Thai style Semi Dry Curry Chicken with Lychee
Som Tam Malakor – Green Papaya Salad
my Elephant Tom Yum Seafood – Really super spicy seafood cooked in a fiery broth bearing a misleading bland shade of light orange.
Stir-fried Kangkung (water convolvulus/morning glory) with minced chicken in a pungent sambal belacan base.
Gaeng Phat Yaeng (Roast Duck Curry with seasonal fruits) – My Elephant’s signature roast duck cooked in a creamy (rather sinfully indulgent) curry broth, sporting a very rich base without much heat.
Truth be told, I was expecting so much more. By far, not the most affordable Thai food in PJ (per person about RM28/USD9 for all of the above), in an area mostly populated by residential houses rather than in the heart of the city or in swanky malls.
The Roast duck curry though was tasty, but the limp/soggy skin of the roast duck was not the best combination for an extremely thick and punchy curry laden with grapes (yes, grapes). The Tom Yum Seafood was of fire-breathing potential; torching the tastebuds of many on the table. So be wary if you’re not one who can stomach fiery concoction. The Yellow curry chicken with lychee was the most interesting dish in my opinion, being a clever matrimony of rich, decadent mild curry, boneless chunks of chicken and sweet lychees. Mieng Kam (the starter) came in such a small portion, it’s suited for 2-3 pax actually. Expected them to serve according to the number of diners, but oh well.
Great ambience though, this place could have passed off as another Bistro a Table for all I know.
Should have gone for the glass noodles salad, assorted vegetable tempura, green curry chicken, and maybe a steamed fish or squid. But the fish does not come cheap, vaguely remember the price escalates to >RM40-50 per portion.
Hmm, keeping my fingers crossed for the impending Surisit Thai Kopitiam experience. This place holds promise since everything’s stripped down to the bones, so to speak. And concentrating on real, authentic Thai fares, judging from the many rave reviews.
Come late without a reservation and feed the mosquitoes?
Mention Happy Mansion, and names like My Elephant and one other eatery go hand in hand. Make a wild guess. But no rocket science really. Let’s just say, the next place that I will be writing about revolves around more than a single layer of depth …..
MY ELEPHANT
C-G-4 Happy Mansion
Jalan 17/13
Section 17, Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Business Hours : 12.00pm – 2.30pm, 6.00pm – 10.00pm
Closed on Mondays.
Google Map to My Elephant
GPS Coordinates : 3.122486,101.634788
*Situated on the ground floor of the flats next to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Damai.

dined there once, during my farewell with my previous company..
just had a lunch set.. like the ambiance.. the food is good.. reasonable portion 🙂
[Reply]
they used to serve really good set lunches… then they change the whole piece of fried chicken to chicken slices and we stop visiting ~ -________-
[Reply]
Personally felt the food improved much on my 2nd visit (last year?) but I would stay away from the duck curry though. Yes, vegetable tempura would be a better choice. And hey, they changed the furnitures!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
July 1st, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Your time was ages ago I remember you guys had the bloggers award there.
[Reply]
Heard so much about this Elephant but never had the chance to try it yet. I’ll wait for your review on Surisit and compare first 😛 Another one we should try out is Erawan! I haven’t been there before.. let’s go together!! 🙂
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
July 1st, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Haha… you’ve been to Surisit ma …. so you would know.
I think I might prefer Surisit to My Elephant, but never try never know.
Erawan yeah …. let’s make it next week?
[Reply]
J the chocoholic Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Don’t forget to call me! I oso wanna try Erawan! 🙂
*blatant self inviting*
[Reply]
after trying out erawan, i think you would love erawan best!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
July 1st, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Yeah … Erawan. The one in KD right? Very different type of Thai cuisine from what I read.
[Reply]
Hmmm… so it’s not as stellar as some made this out to be! Should I or should i not pay them a visit?
[Reply]
one man’s food is another man’s poison.. this is my whole family’s favourite thai food in kl.. a bit expensive though.. we have been frequenting this place for years..
[Reply]
Somehow I never really liked the tom yam here… It’s more of the sweet and spicy sort, right? Otherwise this is a cool place 🙂 Love the fish!
[Reply]
[…] immediately after the dinner at My Elephant, we ventured over to Food Foundry to fulfill our intention for desserts and coffee; having in mind […]
om,seems like a damn good casual Thai dining place, better than the ones seen in SG, wish I could be there to try out the leafy appetiser!
[Reply]
The citron cooler is nice but rm8 seems pricey which deter me fr my2nd glass.
Tom yam(creamy northern style) taste was v.good very generous handling of herbs but not enuf of seafood for the $$$. Green beef curry was too rich/oily n meat were tough. Fish cakes was good.
One of the more authentic Thai restaurant
[Reply]
Great website. A lot of helpful info here. I am sending
it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And naturally, thank you for your effort!
[Reply]
customer oriented auto
My Elephant @ Happy Mansion, Section 17 – A Renowned Thai Restaurant in PJ | Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food