Entering Blue Elephant Thai Cuisine on a warm, Saturday night in Bakersfield I’m greeted by glowing, bubbly staff who are eager to show me to a table. With every chair filled and there barely enough room to move – the ambiance is bouncing off the walls and there is a happy and joyous mood swimming through this small Thai restaurant in the corner of the Town and Country Village off Stockdale Highway.
“Every weekend it is always so busy, and that’s why I love working here,” said Natasha Gilmetti, a server who has worked at the restaurant for four years.
Gilmetti originates from Thailand herself and loves serving the food that is made at Blue Elephant to the customers, many of whom are regulars.
“We get a lot of returning customers and I have a great relationship with them all,” Natasha said, “Our restaurant has a diverse mix of food from Thailand and this is what keeps bringing people back.”
Typical dishes that sit on the menu are the infamous Chicken Pad Thai, Sweet and Sour Pork and Kung Pao Chicken. Blue Elephant also serves a range of traditional Thai soups with two of the more popular being the Tom Kah and Tom Yum Soups.
Bakersfield has 34 Thai restaurants and from these restaurants Blue Elephant has been named Bakersfield’s Best Thai Restaurant for 2019. Online, the restaurant is rated 4 stars out of 5 on Yelp and has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 on Facebook.
On this particular night I sit at a table next to the window, gazing at the sunset. The smell of the spices and the different foods being served around me is an indication of why Blue Elephant is so popular. There are numerous items on the menu, ranging from soups to curries and with many different noodle dishes. There are even vegetarian and vegan choices for most meals, with tofu featuring heavily on the menu.
Blue Elephant Thai Cuisine is a small restaurant with 15 tables for customers. There is also space for outdoor seating – but again, this is limited. A constant flow of people come in to pick up food, is a very popular way of people to enjoy the Thai food. The employees within the restaurant work tirelessly, serving customers who are eating in and helping the customers getting take-out orders. Uber Eats is also a feature that the restaurant utilizes, with drivers picking up food and taking it straight to the houses of customers.
The owner of the restaurant, Jimmy, who did not give his last name, gives off a powerful presence as he wanders throughout the restaurant. He observes his workers constantly and checks that everything is running smoothly, the way he wants it. There is a family atmosphere amongst the workers at the restaurant and they spend time together after their shifts, talking together and enjoying the Thai cuisine.
“There is such a family atmosphere amongst my workers, and this adds to the attraction of coming to my restaurant,” said Jimmy. “We have regular customers who continue to come back and this is heavily down to my staff and how hard they work.”
As I wait for my food to arrive, I cannot help but be in awe of those around me who are digging into their dinners. To the people who come in to eat here, for some it is ritual and for some it is a treat as they indulge in their fried rice and Chicken Pad Thai. Looking around me, I see some families and some people eating with friends. The one thing they all have in common is their love for the food.
Bryan Matthews is a senior citizen who comes in to eat at Blue Elephant every Saturday with his wife. He told me of his love for the food and how he enjoys the atmosphere in the restaurant just as much as the food he eats.
“I eat here every week with my wife Mary, and we have been doing that for the past two years,” said Bryan. “The buzz around the place is awesome and adding that to how good the food is, never fails to make our experience a good one.”
Natasha hands me my Drunken Noodle with chicken and the mountain of food that awaits me is a joy to my eyes – and stomach. It looks just as good as it tastes and the flavor that greets my mouth is exquisite. Being as hungry as I am, I take on the challenge of finishing my whole plate and every mouthful is one to savor. The food was definitely worth the wait and I will be definitely be returning to the restaurant to try out one of the numerous other dishes.
Toms Text 