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Image: ThailandMagazine.com
BLUE ELEPHANT COOKING SCHOOL
In Bangkok there are many cooking schools where you can learn to prepare delicious Thai dishes. There are plenty of amateur cooking classes where you quickly learn to put a Padthai or curry together. But there are also lessons given by a professional chef. And even though you will pay a little more for this you are guaranteed an experience richer! One of the best cooking schools in Bangkok is the world famous Blue Elephant Cooking School. Not only a cooking school but also a restaurant, distributor of Thai products all over the world (over 37 countries). Blue Elephant is an icon when it comes to Thai cuisine where authenticity and quality are paramount. And because we love the delicious Thai cuisine, we decided to go back to school.
Drawing: Yves Bufton for Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School
About Blue Elephant
The Blue Elephant brand was founded by Thai Chef Nooror Somany Steppe together with her Belgian husband. The first Blue Elephant restaurant was opened in 1980 in the Belgian city of Brussels. Because the restaurant only wanted to work with the best Thai ingredients and products, it was decided four years later to open a trading office where only the very best foods from Thailand were distributed. Now almost 40 years later, Blue Elephant is known for its high-quality and authentic cooking products, the famous Blue Elephants restaurants and the highly regarded cooking classes. Blue Elephant is an authority in the field of Thai cuisine!
DID YOU KNOW?
The name Blue Elephant comes from the color blue from the Thai flag combined with the Thai national symbol, the elephant.
Chef Nooror Somany Steppe
We can state that Nooror Somany Steppe is the international ambassador for Thai cuisine. In recent decades, this great chef has raised Thai cuisine to a higher level thanks to her fantastic cooking skills in combination with the use of authentic Thai ingredients. Chef Nooror is a warm, friendly and pragmatic personality who has been working for decades as an ambassador for Thai cuisine on a global level. She has cooked for various artists, world leaders and other superstars and is regularly invited by the international press to tell her story. What we noticed while talking with her is the passion that this chef has for Thai cuisine and her country. We can tell you this is very contagious!
DO YOU KNOW?
The daughter of Chef Nooror, named Sandra, is also a chef and gives cooking lessons in Dutch at the Blue Elepehant Cooking School Bangkok.
Chef Nooror Somany Steppe | Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Blue Elephant restaurants and Blue Elephant products
At the moment of writing there are five Blue Elephant restaurants in various major cities such as Paris, Phuket and Bangkok. In Phuket and Bangkok you can follow cooking classes in the restaurant in addition to dining.
In addition to the world-famous restaurants, Blue Elephant has had its own cooking products since 2006 such as curry pasta, spices, snacks, sauces and meal packages. No flavor enhancers and preservatives have been added to these products.
YUMMY!
Homesick or in the Thailand mood? Try the Massaman curry paste with black rice, this is on sale at the Albert Heijn and without a doubt our favorite!
Image: Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School
Image: Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School
Image: Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School
Blue Elephant Cooking School
There are different types of cooking classes at Blue Elephant Cooking School in Bangkok. For example, you can choose a private cooking class or cook in a group. We chose a group class where we eventually shared the classroom with a friendly young lady from Taiwan. This actually made it feel more like a private lesson. The group lessons at Blue Elephant Bangkok consist of two groups, the morning group and the afternoon group. The difference between these two is that the morning group also visits a market where ingredients for the cooking course are purchased. You can find prices and times in the info box at the bottom of this article. At the end of the cooking class you can feast on your own cooked creations! So do your best and eat your own cooking skills for lunch or dinner in the Blue Elephant Restaurant. But if you wish you can also take the dishes out with you and eat them
ATTENTION!
There is a lot of traffic bustle in Bangkok, make sure you leave well in advance and if you are way too early you can always get a nice (ice) coffee or other drink at The Coffee Club across the street.
Image: Blue Elephant’s red curry
Image: Blue Elephant’s yellow curry
Image: Blue Elephant’s green curry
Arrival at Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School Bangkok
After being stuck in traffic for an hour, we finally arrived at the world-famous Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School in Bangkok. Upon entering we were told that we had to go upstairs. When we climbed the stairs it immediately became clear to us that we had arrived at a special place. Everywhere there were pictures of famous world leaders such as Bush senior and world stars such as Rod Stewart and Steven Seagal. We were also surprised by the many prizes and certificates that Blue Elephant received! Very impressive!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Shopping at the Bang Rak Market
After a refreshing drink and explanation about the cooking class we went with a chef and also our teacher to the Bang Rak Market one BTS station away. You should not compare this market besides BTS Saphan Taksin with the Chatuchak Weekend Market, but you will find everything you need to prepare delicious Thai dishes. After we received a detailed explanation of the different types of Thai fruit and vegetables with a drink in hand, it was time to go back to the Blue Elephant Cooking School.
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Back to school with Chef Pao
Once arrived at the Blue Elephant classroom, we took a seat in the school desks. In front of us was a folder with the recipes that we were going to prepare. The following four dishes were planned for us; fried triangles with a filling of seasoned chicken, spicy soup with beef, green curry with chicken and a Padthai with shrimp. A complete feast!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Every dish was prepared by chef Pao as a demonstration, a young friendly chef with a stunning cutting technique and love for Thai cuisine. He went through every step carefully with us. After Chef Pao had finished cooking, we were allowed to come forward to taste his dish and ask questions about it. Now we had a guideline on how our own creations should taste and look like. Did we just end up in a Thai episode of Master Chef?
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Our turn (with a little help here and there …)
Opposite of our classroom was a large room with workbenches and gas appliances. Here we could experience the art of cooking ourselves. We really tried our best, eventually we would eat this meal so better make it tasty! Fortunately there was a helpful colleague from Chef Pao to help us all the time if we had a question in between or could use a little help. When the first dish was ready we went back to the school desks for the next cooking class. That’s how it went, first look and then imitate the dish yourself with a little help. We made a total of four dishes.
After the cooking class we received a Blue Elephant goodie bag with a Blue Elephant apron, the recipes, Blue Elephant products and last but not least the Blue Elephant Cooking School Certificate!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Time to taste our own creations and …
After accepting our well-deserved prizes, we went to the beautiful Blue Elephant Restaurant on the ground floor. Our self-prepared dishes were set on a beautifully laid table. It really looked like a treat! We ate a little bit of everything and mainly tasted each other dishes, of course the own made dish was way tastier than my partner’s one, healthy competition is what they call it!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
A special guest at our table
Unexpectedly, none other than the owner of Blue Elephant Cooking School & Restaurant chef Nooror came in and sat down at our table. The approachable and very amicable chef asked us how we had experienced the cooking class and whether we wanted to taste some specialties. Of course you can’t say no to that! The already fairly full table with 4×2 of our own prepared dishes was now packed with the addition of two tasty drinks (cocktail and mocktail) and a number of specialties such as Massaman with beef and super succulent duck on thinly sliced cabbage. Very delicious dishes with a rich taste. We were already fan of Massaman curry with beef, but as tasty as here we had never eaten it! We know for sure, next time we will return to Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School but then we will not cook ourselves, the chef is unbeatable!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
TIP!
Blue Elephant Cooking School can easily be combined with a massage at Perception Blind and the Mahanakhon SkyWalk!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Even more fun near Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School in Bangkok:
Information Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School
Address: 233 S Sathorn Rd, Yan Nawa, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Times and prices: Morning group from 8.30 am to 1 pm (3,296 Baht) Afternoon group from 1 pm to 4.30 pm (2,953 Baht)
Website: Blue Elephant
Facebook page: Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School Bangkok
Route: Een couple of minutes walking distance from BTS station Surasak
- The Coffee Club – Mode Sathorn | 240 meter from BTS Surasak (TIP)
And super fine coffee shop where you can also order fantastic dishes with super friendly staff! If we are around here we just have to go by! - Lo Strabacco Italian Restaurant | 750 meter from BTS Surasak
Looking for a good pizza nearby? Many Italians like the pizza here so that says it all! - Opus Wine Bar | 600 meter from BTS Surasak
At Opus you will not only find excellent wines but also fantastic dishes. Here you can enjoy fantastic pasta’s and other Italian dishes! - Laab Ubon | 240 meter from BTS Surasak
Enjoy delicious and cheap Thai food at Laab Ubon! Check the chicken from the BBQ yummmm! - Prachak Roasted Duck | 1000 meter from BTS Surasak
Don’t let Donald Duck hear it, but Prachak knows how to deal with an overheated duck like him… This little Chinese restaurant is a must! - Ocken | 230 meter from BTS Surasak (TIP)
Fine dining or a great brunch? Maybe Ocken’s young top chefs will make something for you, too… - Nineteens Up | 800 meter from BTS Surasak
Snacks and drinks and music that’s what Nineteens Up is all about. A cozy place where you can quickly make friends with Thai visitors. - Suananda Vegetarian Garden & Ayurveda | 650 meter from BTS Surasak
Surprisingly fresh delicious vegan dishes that you can eat both inside and outside in the garden! - Seii Modern Japanese Taste | 900 meter from BTS Surasak
Fantastic sushi and sashimi for a great price! - Tealicious Bangkok | 1100 meter from BTS Surasak
After many visitors of this teahouse tasted the dishes, the news spread quickly. People don’t come here for tea but for the delicious dishes that are served here!
With the BTS:
Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School is located at the BTS Surasak station. This is the green Silom line. More information about travelling with the BTS can be found in our article travelling with the BTS (Sky Train).
Taxi:
You can also choose to go by taxi or a Grab, please show this address: 233 ถนน สาทรใต้ แขวง ยานนาวา เขต สาทร กรุงเทพมหานคร 10120 (English version: 233 S Sathon Rd, Yan Nawa, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand). More information about travelling through Bangkok by taxi can be found here.
Going out in Bangkok
- The best Sky Bars and Rooftop Bars in Bangkok
Don’t leave Bangkok without visiting at least one sky bar, a great night out for everyone with breathtaking views!
Discover Bangkok
- The shopping malls of Bangkok
Shop till you drop in Bangkok’s mega malls - The most amazing temples in Bangkok
You can’t actually leave Bangkok without visiting a temple. - Parks in Bangkok
Beautiful green parks in the middle of Bangkok, a green oasis to relax for a while. - Markets in Bangkok
Take a look into local life and look for bargains among the colourful market stalls. - Museums in Bangkok
Here you discover the cultural (art) treasures of Thailand - Fun activities in Bangkok
Alone or with children, there are so many fun things to do in Bangkok. Look at them here!
Take a look at our Picture This section. Here you will find amazing images of destinations, products and holidays in Thailand. See Thailand trough the lens of a great photographer in our In the Picture feature.
