Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Thai Elephant--Hillsboro, OR

Although one would normally order from a menu at Thai Elephant, we ate buffet style tonight as eighty of us gathered there for a company outing. Dishes included Thai rice, Pad Thai, ground pork with peppers, chicken with string beans, spring rolls, egg rolls and creamy Thai coconut soup. Just for fun, I had a Thai iced tea, which both quenched my thirst and was a great pleasure to drink.

With the restaurant’s modern décor, the bar and its prominent location in an upscale outdoor mall, it has the makings of a first-date hangout. Moreover, it served its purpose well for us in providing a festive environment with good service. One might not notice, then, that the food was mediocre. Although it was supposed to be creamy, the coconut soup was overly rich and could be handled only in small doses. The spring rolls were flavorless. The egg roll was quite possibly the worst I’ve ever had. The skin had crunch, but the filling had the flavor of paste. The dinner had redeeming qualities, though. The rice was hot and soft and went well with any of the main dishes. The pineapples and oranges for dessert merited multiple trips to the buffet.

The fact that the dinner was mass produced and therefore possibly lacked quality control can’t really be blamed on the restaurant. The restaurant clearly made an effort with their service. Despite the number of guests, they tended to all of us well and made sure food was in abundant supply over the two hours we were there. I’d be willing to give this restaurant another chance, but only on a date-night with my wife. Children in this trendy nightspot would somehow seem out of place.


Thai Elephant
2225 Northwest Allie Avenue
Hillsboro, OR 97124
(503) 645-5959
www.thaielephant.us