Laotian is not a word that you come across often and unless you are familiar with world geography, you may not realize that the word is derived from the country of Laos. I recently learned of Royal King Elephant; a restaurant located in Orange County featuring food from Laos and Thailand.
Royal King Elephant is located in west Garden Grove just north of the Garden Grove freeway. This area of Garden Grove is known as Koreatown. The mini mall they reside in is lined with a number of ethnic eateries. Fortunately, plenty of free parking is available.
Because in-room dining is still not permitted, Royal King Elephant limited its operations to take-out only. While hand sanitizer was available, the employees did not wear masks nor did they wear gloves.
Lao sausage is a popular appetizer that’s often eaten with rice and fresh vegetables. Their version was made with chopped pork, rice and seasoned with a number of Southeast Asian spices and herbs. The sausage is fried and the exterior is crispy and quite tasty. This is a great way to begin a meal.
I selected “medium spice” heat level for the Papaya Salad and I underestimated the spiciness of this dish. Freshly sliced papaya, bean sprouts, tomatoes are mixed with garlic, chiles, lime juice, and topped with salted crab to make this dish appropriate for summer. Fortunately, the Lao sausage helped mitigate the heat of this dish.
Crying Tiger is a Thai dish made with beef that is marinated with flavorful spices and grilled. While many before us hailed this as a great dish, I felt the dish was underdone. The inside of the meat wasn’t pink, but grey like it was not cooked enough.
Unlike most red curry dishes, theirs was filled with quite a bit of meat and vegetables such as greens, bamboo shoots, and green and red peppers. The soup base was not thick and sweet like Thai penang curry and I was surprised that it was not spicy.
Royal King Elephant’s dishes are meant to be served family style and best enjoyed inside their dining room. When their dining room is open, their soups are served in a hot pot soup bowl and are best enjoyed that way. I look forward to trying their Tom Yum and Boat Noodle Soups.
Royal King Elephant, 9924 Garden Grove Blvd #1645, Garden Grove, CA 92844; 714.638.1887