An elephant mural sets the tone for the menu's playfulness, but belies the depths of flavor at the Funky Elephant now on Valencia near 24th.
PheNOMenal, with a smokey grilled prawn, fresh herbs, and TWO eggs so I could share with the BF without resenting him, swimming in a marvelously sweet/sour/umami-rich nam pla. The eggs are fried in very hot oil so that the edges form crackling lace, while maintaining the luscious, gooey yolk that becomes part of the dressing. I remember a similar version of this dish at Hawker Fare and obsessed about it for weeks afterward, trying to replicate it at home. Now I know where to find it again.
My main was a pork noodle dish that was soupier than I’d imagined, with chunks of ground pork, noodles, alfalfa sprouts, peanuts, and chilies, in a steaming, spicy , funky/sour broth. The textures! Simply gorgeous.
Hella Drunken mussels for “dessert.” Plump, wok-tossed PEI mussels, in another slightly spicy, housemade chili jam, with Thai basil, garlic, and Asian rice wine, ushered us out the door. There are many more dishes I’ve just got to try: Kao Mun Gai – poached chicken with garlicky ginger rice, Old School pad thai, Crispy Rice Salad – another dish I first tried at Hawker Fare – plus other soups and vegan/veggie dishes. For beverages, Funky Elephant serves Thai iced tea, sodas, beer, and natural wines.
Every bite of every dish was a perfect blend of spice, funk, savory, sour, and sweet. Since Hawker Fare closed it’s wonderful to have Chef Puttikaew bring such dynamic, non-traditional Thai cooking back to the Mission.
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