Blue Elephant,
15, Plaza Damansara,
Medan Setia 1,
Bukit Damansara,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603-20117715.
Business hours: Mon to Thurs (5pm-2am);
Fri-Sat (5pm-3am).
WITH a hidden lounge and bar that serves popcorn and tom yam flavoured cocktails, the Blue Elephant is a stylish place with a twist.
Discreetly tucked on the first floor of a shop house, guests get to play hide-and-seek on arrival.
You feel the bass reverberating off the walls and hear the muffled sound of music.
But how on earth do you get into the party? Here’s a clue. It’s not behind any of the doors. You get in through a sliding bookcase, just like a scene out of a spy flick.
Party goers can quench their thirst at the bar.
Matching the movie-themed lounge bar is Showtime (top pic) – a fancy concoction of caramel vodka, Frangelico (an Italian liqueur) and a home-made mix of ground popcorn.
It is served in a cosmopolitan glass and the rim is covered with salt tinted in blue food colouring.
It’s not everyday that one gets to sip on a cocktail topped with popcorn.
At first sip is the unmistakable taste of a well-loved movie time snack. But that’s just the top note. Let it linger on the palate and you’d taste the hazelnuts, cocoa and vanilla berries in the Frangelico too. The blue salt cuts the sweetness and reminds one of the sparkles in a spangled costume.
Another mix that will go hand in hand with bright red lips is the Firewall. This was inspired after Blue Elephant bartender Mickie Gonzaga went out for a late night tom yam supper in Bangsar.
The tom yam flavoured cocktail is an interesting concoction that shouldn’t be missed.
A bird’s eye chilli lying on a lime leaf garnishes this mix, like a femme fatale on a floatie.
Vodka, passion fruit puree, kaffir lime leaves and lime juice make the gist in this story.
But the villain in this plot, red bird’s eye chillies, only gets to play a very small role as the creator had opted to remove the seeds.
But for want of something delicious, make a date with “Valentine”. A red voluptuous strawberry, cut to resemble a rose, graces this vodka, strawberry puree and pineapple juice mix. Served in a poco grande glass, it starts off sweet and ends the same way. For extra oomph, ask the bartender to strengthen it with an extra shot of vodka.
Because this bar lounge is also under the same management as Aliyaa, a restaurant known for its Sri Lankan cuisine, the reigning flavours in these mini bites are also as spicy.
We loved the tiger prawn vadey in curry leaf chutney. This is one cute canape. The prawn is covered in deep fried lentils, with the tail end sticking out. To eat, grab tail, bite into the vadey and brace for the amazing moment when your teeth sinks into the succulent prawn hidden under the beans. Just don’t forget to dip into the rich lemon lime chutney.
The scrumptious prawn vadey is packed with a mouthful of flavours.
The array also features mini potato curry puffs, tuna fish or pork rice cutlets and glutinous rice with tuna curry.
A bread with gula melaka crystal filling and coconut topping features as dessert.
For the sake of reminiscence, pair it with a creamy White Russian and bring back comforting memories of bread dunked in coffee. Only this time the coffee liqueur will not only perk you up but give you a buzz as well.
And of course one can’t leave without trying the house signature cocktail, the “Blue Elephant”. Blue is the colour of this drink but blue it will not leave you.
Again, vodka comes in. This time it’s paired with chardonnay wine, passion fruit and apple juice coloured with Blue Curacao.
Look out for notes of laraha, a bitter sweet citrus fruit used in the making of this liqueur.
The Blue Elephant is the signature cocktail of the establishment.
A descendant of the Valencia orange, the flesh is deemed too fibrous and bitter for everyday consumption in Curacao, an island country located near Venezuela, where it’s grown. But the locals have found a use for the peel, the fruit’s most fragrant component. So while you’re drinking blue, you’re tasting orange. Refreshing and interesting.
This is the writer’s observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
