The Washington Post, 2011 Fall Dining Guide, Tom Sietsema, October 16, 2011 
“Elephant Jumps presents good Thai and fusion cuisine backed by personality.
The expected dishes all make an appearance, and most are pleasing.
Like the food, the decor of this mom-and-pop reveals attention to the small stuff.”
The Washingtonian, Cheap Eats 2011, Best Dishes, September 2011
Take the crispy salmon, a moist filet encased in a crunchy shell and set on steamed jasmine rice (get it with a cup of sweet, zingy ginger sauce).
Best Dishes
Deep-fried bay scallops tossed with basil, scallions, and red peppers.
Fairfax Times, Mary Hager, May 06, 2011
Elephant Jumps produces memorable drunken noodles and a more than credible version of pad thai. The drunken spaghetti and burritos represent a handful of "East meets West" combinations on the menu, which also lists an assortment of classic Thai dishes, some of the chef's creations, and a few dishes rarely seen on local Thai menus, which together include enough unfamiliar dishes to pique both curiosity and taste buds:
The crispy flat bread shrimp, a rectangle of fried flat bread topped with a smear of ground shrimp pairs well with its cucumber dipping sauce;
The Thai spicy mushroom soup, a smooth brew spiced just enough to please even those who don't relish Thai heat;
The Thai fresh roll, a skinny version of a Malaysian popiah, a steamed roll filled with tofu, egg, cucumber, Thai sausage and bean sprouts and served with a tamarind dipping sauce;
The familiar spicy Thai papaya salad, joined by a version that features fried shredded papaya;
And the golden pastry cup, a small fried pastry cup filled with a mix of minced chicken, onion, pea and carrot is a special treat not often found.
Northern Virginia Magazine, Warren Rojas, March, 2011
Fried watercress gives the usually mundane green a tempura makeover that wraps each leaf in puffy, fried batter. It looks like herbaceous funnel cake—though any dessert confusion should be quashed by the arresting, lime-chile dipping sauce that rides shotgun.
The basil burger is a total misnomer, summoning instead shaved steak—smothered in fragrant herbs, minced hot peppers and whole basil leaves—nestled with a toasted croissant. The buttery canvass and zesty payload battle it out in my mouth, transmuting each bite into a tug of war between fire and fat. And I’m only too happy to get caught in the culinary crosshairs.
Lake Barcroft Newsletter, George McLennan and Debra M. Lee, October, 2010
Crispy tilapia with mango sauce (lightly breaded and fried tilapia served with ginger vinegar sauce, pepper, green mango sauce, red onion chili, lime juice and cilantro) The tilapia was tasty and moist and not at all oily or greasy.
Sautéed shrimp in peanut sauce (with mixed vegetables). The peanut sauce ranked near the top of our charts. It was delicious by itself spread over rice. The shrimp was cooked very well, and was tender and moist. If we were to assign a grade to these dishes we would give them all an A.
Mango sticky rice was among the best we’ve had. The mango was ripe and very flavorful. It was a perfect finish to a very nice meal.
The Washington Post, Tom Sietsema, August 29, 2010
Shredded papaya that's fried rather than raw. A thatch of the airy-crisp green fruit is presented with a dressing of fish sauce, crushed peanuts and lime (chunky with string beans and tomatoes), plus a few pearly fried shrimp on top.
Elephant Jumps Salad is a signature in more ways than one, an edible bouquet arranged from matchsticks of apple, shrimp and a dusting of roasted coconut, fine as sawdust. Lime juice, red onion and fresh cilantro lend spunk to the beautiful appetizer.
The shrimp "flatbread" deserves your attention, too. A paste of ground shrimp slicked with sesame oil is smeared on pieces of pita bread, then flash-fried to order. The snack, served in finger-length slices, is reminiscent of Chinese shrimp toast. A clear dip of vinegar, sugar and cucumber makes it more special.
"East Meets West" includes drunken spaghetti chicken, a burrito stuffed with grilled chicken and peanut sauce, and a riff on a cheeseburger.
Steamed dumplings stuffed with ground pork and shrimp arrive with frizzy caps of fried garlic and a sweet soy sauce for dipping.
Fish choices include tilapia, cut into pieces and fried with Thai basil, onions and chilies. Glossy with garlic-and-chili sauce, every bite zips from heat to sweet in the mouth. The dish is very pleasing.
Dark golden fish cakes the size of quarters, each set off with a fried basil leaf, are arranged just so on their slender white plate, accompanied by a racy dipping sauce of chilies and ground peanuts.
Tender chicken and purple baby eggplant bob in a mild but nuanced green curry that's easy on the eyes and the tongue (and more interesting for the pancake-like roti framing the bowl).
Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide, August 2, 2010
The Green Curry Chicken Roti is especially good, as is the fried whole fish, soft shell crab in black pepper (when they have it), Elephant Jumps salad, Drunken Noodle, the specials, and the desserts are pretty good too.
