Originally offered for Restaurant Week, they now permanently offer a four-course menu, or, you can skip any course and have a three-course meal for a reduced price.

Last night, my boyfriend and I were looking for a nice restaurant to frequent for our anniversary. We settled on The Elephant Walk in Porter Square, Cambridge, as it combines my favorite cuisine, French, with his favorite, Cambodian. We made reservations, and were greeted by the smell of coconut and spice from outside the door.

Our waitress was friendly and helpful. We ordered our meals off the prix-fixe menu, and enjoyed the ambiance. As we waited, we made a short game of counting how many elephants were in the room. Our meals came out fairly quickly, course by course.

For the first course, I had the Rouleaux, and he had the Natiang. The Rouleaux are delectable spring rolls, available as a vegan course, filled with ground pork, crushed peanut, bean thread noodles, carrot and onion, served with fresh lettuce, basil, mint, and mung bean sprouts, with a side of tuk trey for dipping. The Natiang was a delicious stew of ground pork simmered with coconut milk, sliced garlic, crushed peanuts and chili pods, with a side of crispy rice. Both had flavors that were out of this world.

The second course, I had the Croustillants aux Poires et Crevettes Flambées au Vin Blanc, and he had the Leah Chah. The Croustillants were crispy wonton wrappers with warm Bartlett pears and shrimp, in a leek, scallion, and garlic white wine sauce. The pear and shrimp were matched perfectly, though the wine was a bit overpowering for the delicate nature of the dish. The Leah Chah was fantastic. The mussels were cooked perfectly in a broth with sautéed garlic, Asian basil, red bell pepper, and scallion. It was perfectly balanced, and the broth was delightful enough that I wished I had more bread to soak it up. Instead, we both took spoons to it.

The main dishes were both outstanding. I had the Coquilles St Jacques, Sauce a l’Orange Sanguine, and he had the Petites Bouchees de Boeuf Loc Lac. The Coquilles St Jacques was a traditional French dish of seared sea scallops in a blood orange cream sauce, accompanied by warm spinach and a gratin of potatoes.

The meal was balanced perfectly, and sauce was incredible. The Bouchees de Boeuf Loc Lac was caramelized, cubed beef, served with large lettuce leaves, mint, basil, and rice vermicelli, served with the same tuk trey peanut-laced dipping sauce as was served with the Rouleaux. The presentation was similar to a large lettuce wrap, but you could elect to eat each element separately, or combine them all together. Either way, the dish was simple and splendid with a great balance of hearty and fresh flavors.

For our final course, we both enjoyed dessert. I had the Mousse aux Fruits de Passion, while my boyfriend had La Péché au Chocolat. The Mousse was a passion fruit mousse, served in an almond lace cookie cup, sitting on a plate of strawberry and passion fruit sauces. There were also fresh cut strawberries and pineapples crushed in dark rum, sugar, and lemon juice. I personally loved the delicate texture of the mousse. After such a full meal, a lighter textured dessert was more than welcome.

I couldn’t taste the rum on the pineapples, which I actually preferred, and the flavor of the mousse was intense, yet not as overwhelming as passion fruit has a tendency to be. La Péché au Chocolat was a chocolate truffle cake served with a raspberry sauce and garnished with whipped cream. To my taste, the chocolate was a little too rich, but much improved when eaten with the sauce and whipped cream. My boyfriend loves rich chocolate cakes, and thought it was delicious.

The entire meal was every bit as good as I was anticipating. As an avid home cook, I mark a great restaurant as one that elevates food to a level I couldn’t reproduce. The Elephant Walk more than lived up to that standard. My boyfriend’s vision of a great restaurant is such that you may not be able to make anything taste the way they can, but you will always try. He loved the food that night so much that he bought their cookbook (signed by the authors and chefs) on the spot.