Babar thrives here!

Elephant and Castle Pub
Harbor Drive, near Broadway

Sovereign Recess at Elephant & Castle

   Cecile and Jean de Brunhoff were the brainchildren behind a series of books that feature what is considered one of the most beloved characters in 20th Century literature. BABAR is its central figure, an elephant king who lords over his subjects from his palace. The kingdom is named after Babars spouse, Celestville. Among their offspring is a little elephant Princess named Isabelle. Babars cousin Arthur plays a lead supporting role, where he is often telling exaggerated tales of quests for priceless treasures.

   A fictional castle, where elephants named Isabel and Arthur preside, recently turned real life. Isabel and Arthur (Yummy Diegos human counterpart), as if sprung to life from the BABAR books, bring news of a splendid place to dine called Elephant & Castle and of its treasures.

   A fictional castle, where elephants named Isabel and Arthur preside, recently turned real life. Isabel and Arthur (Yummy Diegos human counterpart), as if sprung to life from the BABAR books, bring news of a splendid place to dine called Elephant & Castle and of its treasures.

   Their adventure begins a stones throw away from the Star of India, worlds oldest seafaring ship. Nestled left of the main entrance to our Holiday Inn on Harbor Drive is an Elephant & Castle, part of the most successful British Pub franchise in all of North America (www.elephantcastle.com), scattered throughout the East and left coasts as well as in Canada. Start-to-finish, this afternoons luncheon turned out tickety-boo (all in satisfactory order), to coin an English term.

   This would be a critique-by-committee. Ellen and Andrew helped, Isabels Mother and Brother. We dined outdoors in Elephant & Castles spacious patio. The weather was very cooperative.

Service was Johnny-on-the-spot. The kids had some fresh squeezed lemonade, a bit on the sour side. Ellen had an Australian Fosters on tap (my FAVORITE). I sampled Boddingtons from Great Britain, a draught youre less likely to find elsewhere. These suds are a little heavier and a touch more bitter than their Aussie counterpart. The grownups also tried a refreshing specialty drink: XXX Raspberry Lemonade, featuring Chambourd berry liqueur, Swedish Absolut vodka (why not Boodles vodka from the U.K.), and a splash of soda. All beverages and subsequent food orders arrived with time-conscious efficiency. This is ESPECIALLY important at lunch hours, which readers will appreciate when they have to eat and run!

A signature broth of Scottish origin was first up. Cock-A-Leekie soup is made from chicken, potatoes, celery and (of course) leeks, which are softer cousins to garlic and onions. Variations of this soup have been around since the era of Merlin and the Crusades. The poultry used for the first of these soups came from roosters that met their demise at cockfights.

Elephant & Castle have a variety of handsomely presented kid-appealing finger foods that were a hit with us all. A large sampler tray of these wasknighted BEST DISH REVIEWED on this visit.

We tried the Elephant Platter, which features exquisite soft pretzels, potato skins, spinach & artichoke dip, chicken fingers, and buffalo wings. All the entries were winners, but the pretzels were crown jewels. Although these snacks are readily available at many places to eat, they are rendered NONE better. And isnt that the WAY it should be How bad would it be to get lousy pretzels at a stein sanctum

What did the children fancy most from among the appetizers I like the chicken tenders and the potato skins. The pretzels are the best I ever tried, said Andrew.

Parents will enjoy the fact that there are a couple of fun destinations right across the street from Elephant & Castle that they can partake of with their kids, which are NOT expensive. Theres the Star of India, to board. Theres also a portside FERRY that departs hourly to Coronado Island, for a ridiculously nominal fee.

As per a suggestion from our Server, we requested a Cajun-blackened salmon Caesar salad to try. It is a grand-portioned fish filet that made for a filling bed-of-greens entre, of good quality.

Ellen was not thrilled with the salad, particularly the Parmesan grade of cheese. Andrew concluded that the salmon featured a spicy good seasoning.

The foods from England that are most commonly recognized and served around the world include fish n chips, shepherds pie, roast beef with souffl-style Yorkshire pudding, steak n mushroom pie, and bangers/sausages. Elephant & Castle features all of those specialties on their everyday menu.

Ellen ordered the Indian lamb curry, presented boneless. It was served with rich red curry sauce atop a basic pilaf, with mango chutney on the side. Its not out of the ordinary to find cuisine from India in an English pub, considering Her Majestys sovereignty in that sector of the world for so many years.

   Isabel selected a traditional Brit favorite helping of beer battered fried halibut with olde-world chips, skin-on. SOMEONE in our party was duty-bound to order this helping! Originally, Isabel was torn between chicken pot pie and chicken of the sea, but her brother had already set his sights on a different plate of hen. Halibut and potatoes arrived non-greasy, looking great.

   Malt vinegar goes with the French fries and fish. It is very good. And chips means fries, stated Isabel as a matter of fact. Like the salmon, the size of the halibut measured the length of a standard dinner plate. The filet had beautiful white meat and a very light breading, almost like hash browns. The chips were steak fries and not shoestrings. The platter was fit for the royals at Buckinghams fabled timber-framed manor.

   Fish, we just got it in this morning, assured Kitchen Manager Eduardo Valenzuela. We actually make everything from scratch. Produce daily. Everything is prepared from corporate recipes, so the consistency remains the same. Hats off to the Chefs back-of-the-house team for execution. TWO forks up on the filet!

   Andrew asked for the Guinness BBQ Chicken, cause it sounds like a Guinness world record, he said innocently. This item is a staff favorite, charbroiled and accompanied by steamed vegetables in clarified butter broth and red-skinned garlic mashed puree.

Pork chops with apple chutney garnered strong approval for the fruit side, but the piglet was dry. The chutney ought to be canned and sold as preserves. They make it on site and it was dynamite. Your party will notice redundancy on a number of menu choices when it comes to the serving of vegetables on numerous plates: they seem enamored by potato puree and diced carrots. Ho hum.

Ellen and her mother are quite talented in the kitchen, themselves. I had recently given Ellen a batch of very mild yellow curry chicken sauce for her family, that I helped make for a senior citizens dinner. I followed a standard preparation, nothing out of the norm, but Ellen added fried lemongrass to the mixture and it made all the difference. The lady likes curry.

If followed to the letter according to company instructions, Elephant & Castles curry sauce was unimpressive. I felt as if the sauce, not the plate, had sat under a heat lamp too long and had reduced into a semi-paste. Ellen thought that the sauce overpowered the lamb, rightfully. You couldnt appreciate the shredded meat. All you tasted was fiery curry. The mango chutney was heavily acrid.

The curry with riceits okay. I wouldnt say its really, really good. I took a little bite. I didnt like it a lot. Its just okay, stated Andrew.

The pork chop has a lot of flavor but it is a little bit dry, Ellen observed. Many restaurants anticipate guest comments however misguided that pork MUST be served with all traces of red removed. Readers, if your Server fails to ask you for a temperature setting on an entre of pork then I would suggest that YOU tell them to prepare your pig at medium rare, as is suggested for chops of other sorts.

   Desserts were all made from scratch here at Elephant & Castle. In no order of preference, one was a bread pudding with golden raisins and caramel sauce. A second one was a four-berry baked streusel with vanilla bean ice cream. Streusel is a crumb topping normally consisting of sugar, butter, flour and spices. This one featured the consistency of oatmeal and was my favorite of the three sweets. Third was a Granny Smith apple cobbler, a little too similar to the berry streusel and not as good.

   FINAL OBSERVATIONS: Youd be best to forget about counting calories at this pub. Breakfast, lunch and dinners available around the clock. High marks here for being VERY family friendly. The time that my friends and I spent at Elephant & Castle was invaluable. They are great people who have yet to sample all that this great city has to offer.

   The locale at Harbor Drive for the San Diego Elephant & Castle makes for an ideal starting point for persons who would paint this town. All within walking distance: Seaport Village, Horton Plaza, Little Italy, and all the sights & sounds therein.

Elephant & Castle (619) 234-9977
1355 N Harbor Drive
San Diego CA 92101
www.elephantcastle.com 
--open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 
Holiday Inn (619) 232-3861