Lucky Elephant in Ontario

 

I had wanted to try the Lucky Elephant since a work friend told me about it months ago. It’s on the corner of 6^th and Mountain in Ontario. Turns out, the friend that took me, knew the owners and we received preferential treatment along with an amazing spread of delicious Thai cuisine. I arrived early to the lunch date and was greeted by a host dressed in an authentic Thai robe. All of the employees dressed the part. I fell in love with the decor. Everything was very fancy and such attention to detail. The inside of the restaurant was very clean and open and all of the decorations fit the Thai feel (elephants!). 

There was hand carved wood along all of the walls and little Thai trinkets in china cabinets separating the kitchen area from the dining room. Everything in the restaurant screamed Thailand, including the decorated china and vase on the table and even the menu. The table had a white table cloth covered with a purple and gold cloth strip. If you look, you can see the cloth in some of the pictures I took. That just added to the authentic feel of the Lucky Elephant. Many Thai restaurants all over LA county pay attention to detail of the restaurant, but then completely bomb the food. Not the Lucky Elephant! The food was amazing, colorful, attractive, and scrumptious to the last bite.

The service was top-notch and so friendly, and the food was incredible. All of the food delivery was professional and the presentation was great.  Even the garnishes paid attention to detail. Take a look at the little flower on a bed of cabbage on the plate below... not exactly an edible garnish, but it looked very pretty. And also notice the place mats on the table, as well as the purple and gold cloth underneath the glass on the table. I don't even know how they did it! The Thai Iced tea I enjoyed with my meal just polished off the entire experience. 

We started the meal with a delicious Thai soup and Rangoons and egg rolls served with a delicious sweet and sour dipping sauce. The flavors in the soup were so subtle and delicious. The soup was the perfect thing for an empty stomach to prepare for the insane amount of food that is to follow. The Rangoons were so good too! The egg rolls were super hot even minutes after they were brought out so heads up.. They burned my mouth!

My friend and I ordered from their Lunch Special section of the menu. $6.95 from 11am-3pm. You get the soup of the day (which was the delicious soup with subtle flavors pictured above), an egg roll or salad, depending on the day and one of the options listed on the page (about 15). We ordered the Chicken and Cashew nuts and the duck with basil because we were told they were two top sellers. Needless to say, it was obvious why they were top sellers.

First of all, the presentation was incredibly appetizing. I almost forgot to take the picture before digging in. The little butterfly made out of carrot was so precious, and I could not figure out how they did it. I thought it was a great addition to the dish. Everything was so fresh on the plate. The flavors were incredible on both dishes! The basil sauce that was on the duck paired perfectly with the subtle gamey flavor that duck has. 

As for the Chicken and Cashew Nuts, I'd say it was the best Thai chicken and cashew nuts that I have ever tasted. All of the veggies were al-dente, not overcooked or mushy. The flavors of the veggies and chicken and the sauce complemented each other with the melt-in-your-mouth results that is making me hungry just writing this. I can't wait to go back now. It was really that good. This dish was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully.

After all this food, you'd be surprised that we still had room for dessert. But we did! Deep-fried bananas with a pudding dipping sauce were the perfect ending to this authentic Thai meal. The crunch and the warm mushy banana were so tasty. Once we paid for the meal and chatted with the owner and his family for a little while, it was time to go home and fall into a food coma!! I will definitely be back!