This place is Calgary's worst kept secret. Just off 16th ave NE, East of Deerfoot, you pull into the parking lot of a dodgy looking airport hotel, and venture in through a side door. Immediately you're hit with the incredible fragrant aromas of Thai food. White Elephant just might be the most deliciously authentic restaurant this side of Bangkok. No two dishes take the same, and they're all truly exceptional. Go to White Elephant, you'll love it! But remember, it's a secret so keep it hush hush!
Pro tips for visiting White Elephant:
There will be a line up: They don't take reservations, so make sure to come early! We came 15 minutes before opening, and there was already a line. Don't want to wait around in a long line? You can get take out! Call in your order in advance and it'll be ready for pick up in about 45 minutes. Their full menu is on the website.
They only take cash or debit: Sorry travel points collectors!
Their food is legitimately spicy: The server will ask you how spicy you want your dish, and she may even say she always gets the highest level of spice. We think she may have taste buds of steel. We can most certainly handle our spice, but we sensibly order medium-mild at White Elephant.
Always order extra: One of the best things about White Elephant is the leftovers! Often the flavours get even stronger the next day, so don't be shy and order more for the next meal or two... or seven.
We started our meal with a Thai classic, Papaya Salad. For those that haven't had it, it's made with raw, crunchy papaya, mixed with a generous helping of fish sauce and lots of spice. When we say lots of spice, we mean it! See pro tip #4 above. We ordered this medium-mild heat, and still, there was a serious kick to it.
We also ordered the Chicken Satay Skewers to start. The chicken was beautifully caramelized with perfect grill marks. On the side, they came with an absolutely divine peanut dipping sauce. One of the things we love about White Elephant is the care and detail they put into the flavours of each dish. This approach was highlighted in the sauce which was rich, smooth, and packed full of peanut and ginger flavour. The chicken itself was also drizzled with a coconut vinaigrette that added a perfect amount of sweetness and acidity to bring all of the flavours together. What a spectacular way to begin our feast - and we're just getting started!
For our first main, we ordered the Mountain of Chicken Sir Fry. It featured, as you might guess, a mountain of chicken, with a mix of vegetables, all tossed in a fantastic tamarind sauce. The chicken was tender, the vegetables had the right amount of crunch, and it all came to a perfect balance of sour, sweet, and hot. One of the standouts in this dish was the hit of flavour we got from the ginger pieces diced into the stir fry. As with our previous dishes, and EVERYTHING at White Elephant, this dish was a total winner.
What would a visit to a Thai restaurant be without an order of Thai curry? We opted for the Thai Panang Curry, which is made from orange chili curry blended with coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. We decided to go meatless in this one, and instead got the tofu. It was oh so soft, while still easily holding its form, while the curry had a pleasant hint of sweetness throughout.
We had a side of coconut rice with our main. It comes in this rice pail - a perfect compliment to the Ikea furniture in the restaurant. This place is about the food and flavour, without the fuss. The rice was sweet, slightly sticky and a treat on it's own. Combing this with the mains, we were in heaven!
It is just not possible to praise White Elephant enough. The food is outstanding, exceptional, mouth watering, delicious, scrumptious, delectable, amazing .... (add as many superlatives here as you can think of)! This restaurant is so good, we almost didn't want to share it with you all. But we love sharing Calgary's best with you (and you actually read this post to the end!). So enjoy this special place. We're sure you'll love it as much as we do.
V's Final Word: The food at White Elephant is out of this world (well, not literally because it's from Thailand). If you go in with high expectations of the food, you won't be disappointed. If you don't expect much from the location, atmosphere or service, you won't be disappointed either. Remember, this place is about the food, and it is goooood!
P's Final Word: We just went there a few days ago for this blog post, but as we're writing it, we already want to go back for dinner tonight... and to get some leftovers for the weekend! Seriously, this place is outstanding.
Price Range: $70 for four dishes, with plenty of leftovers to take home.
Address: 1808 19 St NE, Calgary, AB T2E 4Y3