My first time at  Blue Elephant was in 2013 and I was there for dinner during a  media trip by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
At Blue Elephant, I was introduced to Thai-style fine dining and every dish served felt like it was for royalty. Â The whole dining experience was so memorable!
Blue Elephant is not only a restaurant, but also a cooking school. I told myself that I would want to learn to cook some Thai dishes one day.
So, the day arrived and in 2016, I came back to Blue Elephant to learn to cook!
The number of awards can’t even be counted with my hands and legs.
It was raining when we arrived at Blue Elephant. And for the morning cooking session, a visit to the market was scheduled. The rain didn’t stop us though, we proceeded to Sathorn BTS station and headed over to the Bangrak wet market at Saphan Taksin (Charoenkrung Road).
I frequent Bangrak  for food but have never stepped into the wet market. So this was my first time here.
During the market visit, we got to learn about the different kinds of curry, how to select fresh produce and much more. An enriching visit to the market indeed. We ended the market visit with some thai tea and coffee to cool ourselves down as it was very hot and humid after the rain.
Time for lessons!
At Blue Elephant, there are different dishes scheduled daily and they have both morning [2800฿] and afternoon [2500฿] sessions. The morning session includes a visit to the wet market frequented by the locals.
Chef Nooror, the founder of Blue Elephant began the class by teaching us the first dish – Red Curry Chicken with Pineapple!
The classroom has a conducive  layout to ensure you can see the cooking process. Take a look at the top left hand corner, there’s a mirror to show you what’s cooking in the pan.
The final product by Chef  Nooror – Red Curry Chicken with Pineapple!
Learning to cook is not fun alone. My friends, Sequin and Eugene were  also in  Bangkok for a holiday and I was glad to have them for company!
All participants received  a Blue Elephant apron and it was now time for us to cook our own Red Curry.
Ingredients were  already prepared for us and all we had to  do was  just to put the ingredients together to whip up the dish.
And here’s my Red Curry! I love it! It’s delicious ok, even though it was cooked by me. :p
Chef Chay took over the remaining sessions of the class. How I wish I could cut the ingredients swiftly like him.
Triangular Spring Roll with Spicy Chicken Filling!
Sequin is AroiMakMak’s ambassador for the day!
Grilled Beef with Chili dipping sauce. The main focus here was actually the chilli dipping sauce. I take  this sauce frequently in Isaan dishes but I did not know what was inside. Now, I even know how to make it!
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam). This was beautifully done by Chef Chay. Our own version was not photogenic at all. For me, I pounded too hard and everything looked too soft.
You can choose to have your dishes at Blue Elephant or to take away. Of course, I would want to have my meal here in comfort!
Mandatory table shot  with our home-made fine dining dishes.
We ended our meal with  Tamarind Ice Cream. It was my first time eating Tamarind Ice Cream and the taste was quite indescribable. All I can say is that it was refreshing and tangy.
Yeah! I’m a graduate of Blue Elephant Cooking School!
I refused to  leave until  I got  a photo with my teachers, Chef Nooror and Chef Chay! Thank you for making the lesson entertaining and easy to understand!
Here’s some words from Sequin and Eugene with regards to the classes at Blue Elephant!
Sequin: “I especially loved the chefs who were really friendly (as like everyone in Bangkok), funny, and *clears throat* good looking. Most importantly, I would like to applaud how they encouraged us to make each dish our own by adjusting the ingredients and seasonings to our taste instead of just following recipes.”
Eugene: “A Â really well planned and comprehensive cooking programme. Thai cuisine has never been easier!”
You may want to check out Facebook Live videos which was recorded on that day itself at the link below:
Video 1 – Blue Elephant Cooking School