The Elephant Walk: Worth the extra buck

My boyfriend has been raving about The Elephant Walk since I met him, so the other night, we hit up the Waltham location for some Cambodian and French-inspired cuisine. With additional locations in Cambridge and Boston, the Waltham spot is inviting and cozy, and was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday evening, especially 30 minutes before closing time. When we first arrived, I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and sipped away while we munched on some Vegetarian Rouleaux ($8.95), which are Cambodian spring rolls filled with shitake mushrooms, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, peanuts and beanthread with vegetarian tuk trey for dipping.

The spring rolls came fried, although apparently in the spring and summer they are served steamed. Regardless, the rolls were delightfully crispy without being overly greasy, and came out piping hot and fresh. The waiter even informed us about the recommended way to eat the rolls: wrapped up with some of the accompanied bean sprouts, lettuce, and fresh mint leaves. Wrapping the spring rolls as he suggested gave them even more authentic flavor.

For an entree, I enjoyed a plate of Crevettes Amrita ($16.95), which was plump shrimp sauteed in a Cambodian satay sauce with a slew of spices and flavors, including coriander, cumin, star anise, and lemongrass, to name a few.

The plate was vibrant and full of spicy, fresh flavor. The best part for me was that the dish was plenty for one serving, but I wasn't left with three days' worth of leftovers.

My only gripe about Elephant Walk: we had to shoo away several fruit flies during our meal. I'm just happy we didn't find them in our food. However, for spending the money to enjoy dinner out, it was well worth the extra few dollars.

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