Welcome to Elephant Hut

This is a local eat for my Brother in law, and he recommended we give it a try. This place is actually part of Southlands Shopping Centre and is a Tad tricky to find unless you are familiar with the area. It’s a fresh faced looking Restaurant; very minimalist as far as the Indian paraphernalia is concerned. The menu is typical with all the classic dishes all at reasonable prices. The food is tasty enough, service was okay....so overall the experience was very typical, nothing outstanding, but certainly not disappointing. This restaurant is a nice place to take the family.

Saturday night and we decide to head out to the Elephant Hut for an impromptu dinner. It is lucky that we arrive early at about six as we discover that the restaurant has been fully booked out for the evening. Don’t let the façade of this small apparently low-key restaurant imbedded at the Southlands family orientated shopping mall fool you, we are lucky enough to score the least attractively placed table tucked at the entrance of the kitchen, several other would-be patrons who enter shortly after us are turned away.

We decide to share the onion pakora for entree and the two house specialities, lamb varutha kari and chicken chettinadu to share along with steamed basmati rice and cheese naan. The waiter, though highly courteous, offer us a leisurely paced service, his priority is on warming himself for the impending dinner influx as he busies himself with inspecting the table centrepieces and serving customers buying takeaway. The entree arrives at a reasonable time and are duly wolfed done. They are delicious, but heavily spiced. I have recently also eaten their somosas (for takeaway) and after tasting the naan (which is also very fresh with crumbed paneer inside) I conclude that they all taste a little too heavily of the same cumin flavours and/or of some other identical spice mixture.

Starrhusband can see them pouring my spiced tea in the kitchen, but it is a while before it is brought out (albeit with an apology). By then it had formed a skin on the top. Shortly after, the chicken chettindu and a lamb vindaloo come out. As the kitchen seemed busy and the waiter was having an intense episode with another customer over their takeaway order, we decide to just eat the lamb vindaloo. The vindaloo was suitably spicy and the chicken chettinadu was also very rich and filling although the chicken dish did have a number of large, slightly overcooked pieces. We couldn’t finish our meals so the waiter politely packed it all up for us in a takeaway container.

Overall, the Elephant Hut is an immaculately presented restaurant with modern minimalistic décor and white linen. The service and the manner of what we witnessed of the waiter is top notch fine dining standard and I would say what we got was just a taster as he was just getting ramped up for the ‘true’ customers that needed to be impressed. At over $50 for a dinner for two I would say that it was expensive for what we got, but I wouldn’t say that what we did get is reflective of a true dining experience of this establishment. The fact that the music during that hour varied from traditional Indian to saxophone interpretations of popular songs to cheesy candlelight ballads was reflective of our experience: a test run. I would say it would have only be worth it if we had arrived during standard dinner hours and received the proper silver service. So book. As we left, a table of patrons with a reservation arrived and were instantly greeted with a basket of complimentary pappadums. and it is then that the main show begins.

Popped in for a quick lunch last week and to our surprise discovered that this little place has had a face lift. Decided to have the $9.00 lunch special and we were glad we did.... served traditionally on a silver platter with little tasting bowls it doesn't look much at first, but once you get started you realise just how much there is. Our special was Lamb Curry, this changes regularly, served with a vegetable side and rice, along with a very fresh, home-made naan bread. My husband who has just returned from India ( in January ) was suitably impressed, that to me spoke volumes :)

Service was very friendly and prompt, ambience has improved greatly with new renovations, we will definitely return ( many times, I'm sure!! )
Enjoy.

A nice experience. Lovely food. A helpful and enthusiastic waitress. It's in Southlands shopping centre near McDonalds. We ate Chicken Chettinadu (house specialty) and Chicken Tikka Makhani (Tandoorri) with Naan bread and very nice Mango Laasi.