Ambulatory Pachyderm

Dinner at The Elephant Walk tonight with Kate and Glen. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, and our waitress had enough in her to joke around with us. The food was, as usual, awesome, and it being Kate’s first time brought back the mix of amazement and salivary amazement from my first time eating there.

Rouleaux, of course, the “hot-side-hot and cool-side-cool” crispy spring rolls with bean sprouts and basil and mint leaves. Nataing, which is a sort of coconut-milk and spices and pork dish with the consistency of sloppy-joe filling, served with stiff, crispy puffed rice bars. Then I had Somlah Machau, which is a clear soup with grilled shrimps, roasted tomatoes, chilies, and roasted, toasted, nutty brown garlic flecks. Despite asking for it spicy, it didn’t really have any burn to it at all, but was hella tasty nonetheless. Glen had a beef salad and Kate had a seared (more like very slightly breaded and quick-fried) tuna loin with two sauces (one dark red and hot, one green and coconutty) and four little scallion and pear (!) raviolis. The tuna, while still very, very good, was probably the low point of the meal, but there was so much good food on the table that all three of us filled up.

Kate had a caramel and chocolate tarte for dessert and Glen a faintly green pandan-leaf creme caramel and irish coffee, it being St. Patrick’s day. I was too full for any of the desserts on the menu, but I helped polish off theirs.

Now my stomach’s singing to me. If I blow up in my sleep tonight, let the record show it was all worth it.

Our waitress managed to come by several times when we were in the midst of bizarre non sequiturs (once was “Tripe!", and another me asking Kate whether her dessert had scared her yet) and towards the end of the meal she said we’d made her evening, and had been “the best table tonight.”