A la Colhard/the Blue Elephant Phuket

I have mixed feelings about Thai cuisine. On one hand it can be beautifully presented, on the other limited and too spicy. The chili pepper can nuke the taste buds. Now it has devolved into pubs but at the highest level it’s called Royal Thai as a princess crested a recipe book of 200 dishes. The Blue Elephant chain is well known, the one at Chelsea on the King’s Road – which is no longer – had a decorously floral interior and wafting sinuous waitresses.

So I suggested to the National Rust party we try the one in Phuket for Sunday lunch. Local knowledge and Tripadvisor endorsed this suggestion. It is to be found in the old town of Phuket in the elegant Governor’s mansion. Phuket itself  is rather ramshackle and shoddy with roadside stalls. However it was once a prosperous place with tin mines and the commerce of Portuguese traders on the spice route. Thus you did see in the old town some splendid examples of Sino colonial architecture. The Governor’s mansion with a lawn in front of it is one such place.

The greeting was friendly and we were offered a table outside. There was only one other family there but later a Dutch group of three took a table. We had cocktails, mine a freshly pressed mango and guano juice with vodka. The fresh fruit here makes for delicious cocktails. I then wanted a crab soufflé but was directed to another part of the menu and was assured this was the same. In fact it was fried crab in its shell with batter. Tasty but not what I expected. For mains I ordered duck in tamarind sauce with coconut sauce. everything was beautifully decorated and presented. The duck might have been warmer but was succulent. I decided to have a pud: fruit salad with ice cream, the French call this a “coupe”. The waitress duly took the order but 20 minutes later there was no sign of the dish. The waitress was replaced by new staff and I duly complained to them. I imagined the order was not logged in the kitchen on handover but the dish as ordered with coconut and pistachio arrived with apologies. It was delicious. Aside from this one lapse, for which they did not charge, the service was excellent. The bill for three came to £40 per head much cheaper than London prices.

I noticed Bob’s eye wonder to the inner thigh revealed in the waitress’s long robe but there was nothing similar on offer of the male variety for this old bird!!!