Had dinner here with my husband. We ordered the pan rolls, a meal deal which consisted of rice, two veggie sides and a meat dish which I chose prawns (extra hot) for, and my husband had the roti deal. He got the chicken curry. Our sides were the potato curry, okra and eggplant. The food was to die for. Really tasty and flavoursome, if a little oily. My only criticism is the wait... 45 mins for our mains to arrive is a bit long. Bill was $72 which included two drinks. The prices are a bit steep I must admit. Would highly recommend however.
We went on a Sunday night about half an hour before closing thinking of taking away but we were given the opportunity to dine in even after the closing time. We had the chicken kotthu and roti platter with dips. The food was excellent just like a home cooked meal. Was even provided with a complimentary chicken curry. Very friendly and great service.
Wonderful family restaurant that serves amazing Sri Lankan food.
Our family of four visited last night on the back of Facebook reviews on Wefolk and Zomato. The reviews were accurate. It’s a small family restaurant that do their utmost best to accommodate your needs. Apart from the appetisers the menu is mostly gluten free. They accommodated our children’s need for mild curries. All with a lovely smile.
Others in the area may have more visitors, but they’re the ones missing out!
Thanks everyone.
Have never tried Sri Lankan cuisine before, but am definitely keen to try more after visiting White Elephant. We ordered the coconut prawns which were huge and delicious, one of my fav dishes of the night. The pan rolls were also huge and very tasty, and I enjoyed the cheese roti which was a great size for sharing. The vermicelli noodles were excellent, not oily; and I loved the yellow rice which was moist and flavoursome. We shared the egg curry (interesting), goat curry (nice if a little oily), and eggplant moju (tasty). For dessert, we had the watalappam (very tasty) and sago pudding (a little sweet for my tastebuds). The staff were helpful with food recommendations although a little inattentive with the water. Overall, well-priced dishes and a great dinner. Recommended.
Wow! Wow!
Had Lampraise and kotu roti (goat curry). Great tasting food, huge portion size, quick service, nice ambiance and friendly customer service.
First time ever having Sri Lankan food in a restaurant. Will be back there again!
Thanks guys, had a great evening at your place with my family. 😄
Came on a quiet Wednesday night early in the evening. Food was delicious, especially the eggplant moju which was amazing! The deviled meat was excellent. Also ordered yellow rice which was rich and buttery but a bit pricey at 12 dollars. I found the staff very friendly.
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I don’t usually do reviews, although this little star of a restaurant needs to be more recognised! I came in last night with a few work colleagues not planned as we were initially booked with Aangan but unfortunately they over booked and did not have a table for us, this was disappointing at first but, I sure am glad it happened now! We ordered the Coconut prawns which did not disappoint! They were juicy and fresh on the inside while the outside was showered in coconut and crunchy as can be, the sauce accompanying it was also good but the prawns on its on was a shining dish! For mains we had a serve of the yellow rice, eggplant moju, Lamb curry and two godamba rotis. WOW just WOW! The yellow rice was so aromatic and flavours just bursting! it’s not just any old saffron rice it has so many different elements which went tremendously with the eggplant, in small doses though as it can be very powering but incredibly delicious! The lamb was soft and tender with every chew was a new bite of flavour which left ur craving for more and accompanied perfectly with the godamba rotis although they could have been cooked a tad more as they was a bit soft but that’s just my opinion some may like it less crunchy but I love it! The overall experience here was fantastic but the chef made it that tad better when she made sure to come out and make sure everyone enjoyed their night! We enjoyed it very much and can’t wait to come back!
OK let’s start by listing what the four of us shared, Pan Rolls, egg cutlets, cutlets, roti with dips, string hoppers with sambal, yellow rice, goat curry, pork curry, cashew curry, fish curry, eggplant moju, more roti, couple glasses red wine. Done. Sometimes with eating so broadly off the menu things start tasting the same. Not so here at White Elephant-all dishes had their own character and flavour. Spices well balanced, with the goat curry pleasingly hot and unctuous. The eggplant moju was outstanding, sweet, spicy and fragrant. The cashew curry was mild and delicious while the fish was pleasingly coconutty and firm. The food here is outstanding-I suggest you join the stampede to the White Elephant.
Since opening its doors just over a year ago, White Elephant has become a local favourite for authentic Sri Lankan food. I don’t have too much experience with the cuisine myself, and was excited to try it out. Lamb Curry – $18.90. The aromatic lamb curry may seem small, but the large chunks of lamb and potato meant that it was actually quite substantial. The lambs were cooked until tender, and the fluffy potatoes really took on the creaminess of the sauce.
Amazing food and amazing staff always. Food and service are excellent. What a great experience we had with them. My favourite kinda place. I will definitely be back for more beautiful experiences.
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4.5. The White Elephant is a 15 minute walk from West Footscray station and the Whitten Oval. It is nestled among some Indian restaurants and grocery stores and not far from some trendy, wine bars and eateries.
It stands out because it is authentic and serves freshly prepared Sr Lanka cuisine. The decor and setting is clean and understated with quiet background music playing. It’s a real family business, with Mum, the chef and two daughters in front of house.
My partner and I had coconut prawns as an entree which was beautifully presented on a board, sprinkled with coconut and accompanied by an interesting, smooth, mayonnaise based sauce. The prawns were perfectly cooked in their shell.
Onto the mains. The lamb curry infused with exotic spices and coconut milk melted in your mouth. It went very well with the yellow rice dish, cooked with saffron, coconut milk and many subtle spices, interspersed with cashews.
Their recommended vegetable dish was the eggplant moju; a twice cooked eggplant sauteed in a blend of spices, cinnamon and chilli pieces, thoughtfully allowing those like us who prefer a mild chilli to separate out the chilli pieces.
'Mum' cooks fish every night and so she brought out a lovely fish dish we had not ordered. Again, perfectly cooked and with really interesting, subtle spices. We also enjoyed the lentil curry, as an accompaniment. Arriving hungry was a bonus. A couple could order less than all this and have a really interesting, balanced meal for around $50 only.
It’s worth noting there are some really good choices for vegetarians here.
For many , good food deserves good wine. There are various beers and liquor available but there is not yet a wine list on the menu. When this is soon finalised, it will allow those who want to enjoy an accompanying wine with such interesting food to complement the food.
This small, family, authentic Sri Lankan restaurant is well worth seeking out and will continue to improve after only nine months since opening.
The White Elephant is strongly recommended. Our thanks to the restaurant for their kind invitation to dine here.
Great family run Sri Lankan restaurant - judging from the other comments we received our food at about the average time of 45-50mins. We had the crab curry which was very flavourful and the goat curry was very tender. Not shown in pics but definitely worth a try is the coconut variety of the roti...was thicker than usual roti and was very tasty and good to soak up all the yummy sauces on our table. My vegetarian guest had the 3 curries and rice plate. All the food was lactose and peanut free.
This is a restaurant not only worth trying but also worthy of being amongst the best you can find in the West of Melbourne. If you haven't tried hen you need to give this a go, the food is sensational. I ended up in this restaurant as Aangan couldn't fit a table with space for a pram so we decided to try this as my wife is very fond of Sri Lankan cuisine. What a fortune that was!
What you will find here is an entire family working on this project with the mother being the main cook. She cooks everything to order, ingredients are fresh and the service is excellent. It's a family restaurant so everyone serving has skin in the game.
It is disappointing that a dissatisfied group of people went on a review revenge rampage trying to discredit this place.
I'm a regular here. Dishes are always tasty, service is friendly and it's quiet enough to chat. Excellent value, too! It's my go to place for a good Vietnamese meal.
This place is fantastic! The staff were really lovely and helpful, and the food was amazing! The lentil curry was one of the best lentil dishes I can recall having anywhere and my wife beat me to eating all of the devilled prawns. Everything seemed like it was lovingly and painstakingly prepared, without taking the shortcuts which compromise the quality of a dish.
We will absolutely be returning :D
Have found a lot of Indian restaurants to be very same same and generally enjoy my own curries more. Freshness does make a difference and this I picked up on at White Elephant. Booked a big table of 12 which comprised a mix of Aussie curry eaters, Sri Lankan pals and timid spicy eaters. The staff were very accommodating. I am guessing the lovely young women serving are family members which is a nice touch. Meat curries are generally on the bone which is how I like them because it gives the gravy way more flavour. The vege sides are very interesting too, cashew, eggplant. Hoppers were approved of by experts. Cant wait to go back for the vibrant flavours. If you want to read an informative dish by dish review go to Consider The Sauce Blog by Kenny a well established local reviewer.
Delicious and authentic Sri Lankan food! Every plate we ordered had it’s own tasty flavour. Servings were plentiful. Friendly service from a lovely family-run restaurant. Highly recommend :)
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