• 3
• Beautiful location; food is only so-so

We were swept away when we first walked in to The Elephant. The views over the valley are stupendous - we felt like we were in a fairy tale. Service is very attentive and friendly and the décor is casually rustic but chic at the same time - perfect for Bali. The menu looked great on first inspection but we did feel a definite lack of love for the vegan population - almost everything has dairy or eggs in it as a main feature. We ordered what we could find which was just enough for the two of us for dinner. The dishes unfortunately didn't quite live up to expectations. The laksa for example was a sour Penang style soup rather than the richly spicy curry-like Singaporean dish we had in mind. The coconut noodle soup was a bit too weak for our tastes, probably because the chef is not a vegan chef and is not adept at achieving balanced taste profiles without the use of animal products. There were other dishes but mostly forgettable and with similar stories. My partner was not keen on going back but I had a chance to pop in again alone just recently for brunch. From the brunch menu I basically had the option of either porridge or toast - pretty lame in terms of vegan selections. I opted for toast with tahini and banana. It tasted pretty much exactly as imagined but let's face it - it's a tough one to screw up ;) Enjoyed the ambience and service though and would probably go back again if the opportunity arose, more for the vibe than the food. It will take a lot of convincing to lure my foodie partner back though.