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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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I havent been to this place for a while but I think that the food quality has gone down a bit. Or maybe it was because they were so busy that my food tasted like it was literally thrown together.
I got a pad thai and my coworkers ordered the garlic basil chicken dish. The dishes came out looking sloppy as ever and the sauce was dripping on the sides. The amount of food they give you on the plate is very little, and not worth what we've paid for.
Also, our appetizers came out AFTER our main course, which was a bit odd.
I'm giving it three stars because my pad thai was A-Ok, not amazingly delicioso. I've had better Thai/Singaporean dishes.
Service is great though, friendly staff.
Been coming here for years and this is what I know: consistently well-prepared dishes, attentive and friendly service, expect a wait during reg lunch and dinner time but totally worth it!
Some dishes not to miss:
Appetizers
- Roti Prata: Order the number of servings of your party, trust me, people will be wanting 2nds of this house-made Indian thin layered bread dipped in their ridiculously amazing curry sauce...yum!!!
- Tofu Salad: Despite the fried tofu, it comes w/ a well balanced of crunchy vegs tossed in peanut sauce, my way of getting my veggies in! :P
Entrees:
- Rendang Chicken: Hmm...and it's DANG good!!! Moist and tender pieces of chicken falls off the bone cooked in their special Malay curry sauce, just the perfect mix of spices.
- Belachan KangKung (Ong Choy): My parents' fav, fresh "ong choy" stir fired w/ Malay shrimp paste sauce (may be pungent for some, but taste it before judging it!)
- Seafood Curry Laksa Mee: one of Singaporean's classic (or so I was told) pipping hot red curry broth w/ seafood and veg served w/ glass noodles. Best part about this is when the noodles soak in all the flavors from the broth...so good!
- Chow Kueh Teow: Hokkeinese style stir fried rice noodles w/ prawns, squids, eggs & bean sprouts, I get this everytime because it's got "wok-hey" w/o being overly greasy.
Drinks:
- Pom/Lychee Martini - made w/ sake and soju...best of both worlds! ;)
FYI: They don't seat you till your entire party arrives so one way we've always beat the long wait is to arrive all together and either eat at an earlier or later time. ;)
Haven't been back to this place for a while, so we decided to give it another shot by showing up early to get a spot. Got seated easily and the food was rather authentic and pretty good for the most parts.
We ordered the Singaporean Chilli Crab and the sauce that came with it was spectacular and spicy. However, the crab itself seemed like it was on diet... not what I'd expect from a high-end seafood dish.
Rendang Beef and Belachan Kangkung is as good as it gets. Basil Chicken is probably better at authentic Thai restaurants. The Gado Gado appetizer is really good if you like peanut sauced food, but being a Malaysian, I've tasted a better balanced dish.
Seating is quick if you go slightly earlier than peak hours... otherwise you might be waiting for more than 1/2 hour for a table depending on your group's size. Call in to make reservations if you have groups of 6 or more.
This is a 2.5 star type of place. It's not on par with your standard thai place. You're basically paying for the atmosphere and the fact it's in the heart of the silicon valley. During the lunch hour they get very crowded so come early and put your name down.
The taste of the food is average, but the portions are small. When you can literally count the pieces of beef on your plate, you have too little. With the small portions and the higher than average cost of the food two stars is appropriate.
The service is also just okay. When your appetizer comes after the main course, something is not right.
It appears to be a good place for those birthday lunches or the like.
The Time: a typical weekday morning
The Scene: a silicon valley office slave (Dude1) tries to hit up a co-worker (Dude2) for a lunch outing.
Dude1: "Hey, let's go to really popular Singaporean restaurant for lunch, OK? We should head out about 10:45."
Dude2: "Uh...why so early?"
Dude1: "Oh, we have to get there before about 11:15 or we'll be waiting in a long line; And we want to get parking too. Oh yeah, and the traffic into this mall at lunchtime is completely jammed, so we want to beat that. We can go late instead, if you want...around 2 pm should do it."
Dude2: "what the f**k, man? is this like some scary-good food or something?"
Dude1: "Oh, it's really about average, but most people rave about it anyway; It's really the only Singaporean food in the area that people know about. My theory is that it's SO much of a pain to actually eat here that people are determined to say it was worth it, no matter what. You know...nobody likes to admit they made a mistake, or to go against the grain. For instance, almost everyone orders the roti prata, and..."
Dude2: "YUM! I love that killer roti prata at Straits!! Is it like that?"
Dude1: (laughs) "No, no, the stuff from Straits is a thousand times better than this. The roti from Spice Islands is a lot better too. But those places aren't in this neighborhood. Banana Leaf's roti is actually as thin as printer paper, and just about as flavorful. But just dunk it heavily in the sauce and you won't notice. ...Hey, If we get there early enough, maybe we can snag a table outside!"
Dude2: "Nice patio, huh?"
Dude1: (chuckles) "Naaah, we'd be right beside the mall parking lot out front, with cars driving by. We could be right next to the line too, so people may be standing beside us as we eat....Hey?... Dude?...where you going???
Dude2: (leaves the room)
Finally ate here last week with the co-workers to welcome a new employee.
Didn't really like the spicy soup they serve before your meal. Didn't have much taste to me.
The light croissant-like bread they serve with some curry-like sauce was okay.
But the food was pretty good. We had the pineapple fried rice, some beef veggie curry plate, the lamb, and the mango prawns, which was all good.
Place gets really busy from around 12PM-1:30PM or so, so if you plan on coming here, I'd suggest on arriving before 11:30AM.
Thought this sign in the bathroom was hilarious - http://photos-h.ak.fbc...
This is absolutely one of the best places I ever ate at. They have some exotic dishes that are out of this world. I have tried almost everything here and love everything here. Service is fantastic and the place is very clean.
I love it and highly recommend it. Lunch hour is very busy so I go there for dinner instead and weekends.
The food is pretty good. Their pineapple fried rice is probably my favorite thing there.
I would give it 4 stars, however, their portions are a little small.
If you are planning on eating here, I suggest coming early because it gets very crowded. I'm not sure how business is around lunch, but around dinner time, expect to wait for a while.
Ok, I can't tell you how the countless times I've been to this place. This place is the jewel of Milpitas. If you don't know what to get I'd highly recommend the Rota Prata and Pineapple Fried Rice. It's good... so good... *mouth watering* From trying the egg plant, to basil chicken, to pad thai, to just about everything else, it truly doesn't get any better then Banana Leaf.
I don't know what the buzz is all about regarding this place...I also don't understand why it gets pretty crowded.
The food here is pretty average. I've tried:
Combo Satay
Tom Yum Soup
Mango Chicken
Malay Sizzling Chicken
Pad Thai
Pineapple Fried Rice
Everything is....okay (thus the 3 stars)
Well to start off they seated my family and I outside in the cold. Good thing there was a warming stand next to our table or else we would of been completely frozen.
Their service was really really slow. The only good part that I could talk about was their appetizer, desert, and friendliness. I couldn't remember the name of the appetizer because it was an unsual name but it was above average. The main course was like a typical asian food made without love. Their desert was to die for! Deep fried mango ice cream. MmMmMm. Yummy yummy! Their service on the other hand was super slow yet extremely friendly. The waiter was very considerate and attentive but he took quite awhile to come back to our table to take orders and check up on us.
Maybe if it were in different circumstances, the rating would bump up to a 4 out of 5, but the crowded restaraunt made their service super slow and seating arrangement icy. I probably won't be coming back unless I'm not paying for the bill.
I go back and forth on this place, somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. The food was good, but not earth-moving. The place is usually packed, except somehow not that Tuesday when we got there just before closing. The service is usually rushed, but wasn't this time. Maybe it was just luck on our side, but that luck landed them squarely on the "4" side of things.
Our group arrived within the last 20 or so minutes of the restaurant's closing time. They had no problem seating us, and just let us know the kitchen would be closing soon. Things started off with the roti w/ curry. I've had roti before, but not quite like this. It was incredibly flavorful, and very light. The curry was sweet, so if that's not your thing, just go for the roti plain. The memorable part of the main dishes was the pineapple fried rice. I put this squarely on the fact pineapples are delicious and they did a wonderful job of making the dish not be saturated with pineapple flavor. Most places will just amp up the fruit in the fried rice, making it almost sickly sweet. This had the right balance of sweet, making the bites with pineapple all the more delicious.
The ambiance of the place is really nice. It's probably the last kind of place I expected to find over in McCarthy Ranch. Everything there always seems so focused on shopping and quick customer turnover, it's nice to have a place like this with all of the hardwood dividers and dimmer lit dining. This place could actually move pretty easily to a more fancy/formal venue if they wanted to, just because of the decor. They'd need to close off the kitchen though, and that'd probably make the place feel even more tightly packed.
I came here once for dinner and will not be returning. This place serves mostly indian food (I was expecting something more along the lines of thai food) and does not have very good vegetarian options (someone should clue them into the fact that shrimp paste sauce does not equal vegetarian).
I ordered the Tofu Salad (I like tofu and I like salad) and was disappointed by their cold and tasteless tofu, the mysterious "crunchy vegetables" that were a sore attempt at a salad, and the awful tasting peanut sauce. I usually love peanut sauce but the one here tastes bland and nothing like peanut sauce (other than their attempt of trying to pass it off by crushing peanuts on top of this brown mystery liquid).
In addition, the service here from the moment you walk in to when you leave, is awful (apparently they won't seat you until the whole party is there, even if they're parking and will be arriving in 45 seconds).
Bottom line, the only way I can rationalize this place having such a high rating is that people in Milpitas either 1) are desperate and are settling, or 2) have have poor taste and low standards - maybe it's both.
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!
It's usually not that easy for me to be quite that declarative emotionally, but all my restraints and boundaries were thrown out the window once I tasted their Penang Sizzling Jumbo Prawns. Oh My GOSH...how can I express how deeply I covet your spicy gooey tenderness? The other dishes are not even worth a mention next to your Tastiness.
TRUE LOVE goes hand in hand with commitment. While you can have commitment without Love (I'm talking to you, people who go to Jack in the Box at 2am every weekend), if you truly LOVE something, you will want to Commit to that thing. I am pledging my commitment to you Banana Leaf. I will wait in line for 45 minutes next to the hoards of engineers and stand firm. I will come back just to get another taste of your jumbo tender scallops. In the whirlwind world of young 20 somethings who are always looking for the next best thing...where the grass will always be greener...I pledge my love and commitment to you.
Still thoroughly underwhelmed.
I was coerced into going to Milpitas for dinner, which meant the selection of restaurants immediately became limited. So basically, it became Banana Leaf or bust (unless someone out there can think of a GOOD restaurant in Milpitas). My friends wanted to try it, despite recalling my tepid review.
Well, the Lychee Martini is good. It came with some oddly shaped monster lychee, which I was a little to hesitant to eat. The Veggie Pineapple Fried Rice was bland. I had to sprinkle on some of the sauce from the Roti Prata to make it flavorful.
So, I was right the first time. This place is sub-par.
After reading rave reviews of this place on yelp, I placed a lunch order for the veggie Indian Nasi… Read more »
Love coming here for lunch. Even though they are very busy, the service is really good. My favorite items are:
Roti Prata - This is the best I have ever tasted (even tried in Penang)
Tofu Salad - love the peanut sauce
Curry Beef - many different veggies, including okra
Hainan Chicken - love the tender chicken and cucumber combo
Siam Salmon - sweet sauce, tasty mango
Huat Dan Ho - great wet noodle dish, I can eat the entire plate (and it shows :-(
Coconut Rice - has a nice sweet taste to it
Hefeweiser Beer :-)
Make sure you come before or after lunch rush, otherwise, wait could be unbelievably long.
we've been coming to banana leaf since it opened and the service has always been consistently mediocre. since it's one of the few malaysian/singaporean restaurants in the area, we've settle to opt for food over service which is the reason as to our continuous return.
it's understandable on weekend and peak dinning hours for the service to be slightly off, however that always seems to be the case here at banana leaf. the staff always appears to go missing when you need something other than the check.
during the last visit, our party of nine has reservations for a friend's birthday dinner. our wait was still pretty long considering they knew we were all gathered outside. we selected one of the packaged dinner deals that came with several popular dishes which amounted to about $25 per person. the portions were balanced, but considering there were so many dishes we ended up having tons of left overs. the food was good, so that wasn't a problem.
the issue with this place in the lack of customer care! throughout our meal the only time we saw anybody at all was during the time our orders were taken, delivery of plates and when it came time for the check! other than that we had to practically flag down someone ourselves just to get the glasses refilled! maybe since we were the largest party at the time they assumed we didn't need too much attention because a heafty tip was already in the bag?
what got us fuming was towards the end of our meal, we felt as though they were trying to rush us out! our dinner was fairly early and business began to pick up towards the hour into it. i suppose they just wanted to clear out our seats for the line that was waiting out the door. they assumed it would be faster if we all paid our split check in cash and said that the atm machine was broken. this only backfired since several of us had to go across the street to the bank which ended up taking even more time! when we returned, we found out from the other tables that the atm was and has been working just fine...
on our way out the door we sure let them have it! all they had to say was "oh?" seriously who makes up a lie like that? they thought it was clever and would speed up the process for them to receive even more business, in turn it only turtle speeded the amount of time it took to get us out and them in. plus we caused a good enough scene for the other's to be aware of their business habbits!
honestly, i'd rather go across the plaza over to penang garden where the food is comparable and the service is better.
This place has not changed in 4 years! Still the same decor. Still packed at dinner. The tables in the back had little space apart, even a child could not have squeezed through. Noisy. Hectic. Yup, just the way I remember it.
The only recollection I don't have is their food. Supposedly authentic Malaysian, their dishes are small with unbalanced flavors.
Roti Prata (x2) - $2.95 each - Indian bread with curry dipping sauce. Can't really mess up the bread. But the curry is sweet instead of spicy like I'm used to. No like.
Singaporean Chili Prawns (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - $11.95 - Prawns in chili, garlic, tomato sauce and egg. The chili overwhelmed the whole dish. Result? Lots of water.
Black Bean Eggplants (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - $7.95 - Sauteed eggplants in black beans and basil. The eggplants were soaked in oil and covered with chunks of black bean sauce. Most unappealing eggplant dish ever!
E Noodle (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - $8.95 - Crispy noodles with prawns, squid, chicken and vegetables served in a clay pot. The only dish I liked. Noodles were interesting with an airy texture. The broth and mixture of ingredients were at least somewhat tasty. Needless to say, I hogged the noodles to myself.
There was one more dish we ordered which I cannot remember at all, and do not have a picture of. (See! Food is easily forgettable here) The bill came out to be $64 with tax and tip. Pricey subpar food that didn't even fill us! Bleh!!
Mmmmm. Good stuff. Good service.
The food was yummy. We started with the Roti and Tofu salad. Both were the highlights of the meal. We actually wished we just had a meal of just those two dishes. Our main courses were just okay. Nothing to get crazy about though.
The service was quite friendly. The host was an energetic, excited little man who talked up all the available tables. Our waitress was this tiny, cute lady who couldn't stop thanking us for anything we said.
I have to dock a star because the place is quite small with limited seating. They try to make up for it by having outdoor seating, but I'm not trying to enjoy my meal literally right next to the people who are waiting for their own table. And I ordered tea, but because of the lack of teapots, I was served all in a regular glass cup which ended up being too hot to pick up.
Definitely though, I'd come back.
Really love the food and prizes! Try the indian mee goreng!
This place is one of only two in the bay area that I know of that makes a really good Singaporean Laksa. So good!
The dishes are very tasty. If you go there for lunch, get there around 11 am to get a table. I had the banana leave chicken dish. The free soup that came with it was not that good.
I give this place a 31/2 stars!! Here are my reasons:
1) Environment - Very cozy!! Clean...can see the kitchen...friendly...excellent service...
2) Food - I liked what I ate....it was flat pan noodles, with veggies,lots of gravy, egg, shrimp, beef...etc. The portion was fairly small and quite expensive....I have to say...However, the thin bread was awesome w/ curry dipping sauce...yummmmm
3) Crowd - the wait was insane....insane...insane...insane...
OOoo did I mention that the wait was insane....yeah!! I might think twice next time!! Not sure I like to wait that long for food!!! Way over hunger........
I went here with my friends for a dinner. When we got there, the wait for at least one hour. Since I haven't had Malaysian/Singaporean food in long while, I figure it would be good to try.
Well, first of all they don't call number in sequential number. They strictly call based on the number of seats in the table leaving. So, if you are party of two, you wait until table of two opens up. This could mean, you could be stuck there for very long time.
Food was bit disappointing. I ordered prawn mee but didn't taste that good. Amount of noodle they put was very small. I had better prawn mee at other Malaysian restaurants. Bit disappointing with long wait.
Food - 2.0
Service - 2.0
Ambiance - 1.0
I loooove the food at banana leaf! For sure you gotta start off with the delicately delicious ROTI PRATA! It's one of my favorite appetizers ever!! After trial and error through the menu, the only things I ever get for lunch are: siam salmon, Indian mee goreng (looks like spaghetti),or Indian nasi goreng (rice version of the spaghetti).
The service is usually pretty good, but one time we had a large party (30 people) and the guest of honor + 3 others did not even get their food until we all got ours boxed up. Major lunch fail for her/them. There have been other times when we've had just as many people, but no problems with the service. I usually go for lunch, and even though it's always crowded...I haven't had to wait very long.
Roti Whata?? Who knew deep fried bread dipped in curry sauce could take my taste buds to a place they've never dared to venture. The curry sauce was hands down the best I've had. It had just the right amount of coconut, curry, and spices cooked with a lemon leaf to give it a complex flavor that a mediocre restaurant could never achieve. Though obviously high in calorie, I didn't even think twice when pouring the remaining sauce over my rice. It was pure indulgence.
Surprisingly this was my first time at a Malaysian restaurant considering my best friend is Malaysian. She's been holding out on me! Unfortunately, after the roti prata, the meal went slightly down hill. My friends ordered the rempah chicken which was way too spicy to even taste the other ingredients that it may have consisted of. However, the next dish, prawns in red curry, made up for the spicy overkill chicken. I was able to savor the light sweetness of the curry along with the plump juicy prawns. The Pak Thai was cooked well but really, where can you go wrong with Pak Thai?
I have yet to try the other items on the menu. Yes, I will be back.
I've been here once for my birthday. I've had my first naan here and liked it. Their coconut shrimp are also pretty good. Overall great meal!!! Will come back again.
This Malaysian restaurant expanded since the first time it opened..They now have a bar and opened up another room. Roti prata is the best in this restaurant. They also have chicken with mangoes which is delight. Oh and try their siam salmon. It's delicious. If you go during lunch, go early because is crazy.
Went here with family and in laws for my birth day dinner. I was very satisfied with the variety of food, flavors, spices. They even had decent beer on tap.
I will be back with my wife for future visits and will definitely try the seafood dish I saw the patrons next to us order; looked like bass with a clear sauce.
Pineapple Fried Rice. Enough said.
Well not exactly. This place is awesome! It is delicious and filling.
I love being able to draw on the tables. haha Yeah, I am still a kid inside.
Definitely would come back.
They've pushed me over the limit. The food is still decent, but the service - well, it doesn't exist as a concept there.
From being hustled from the moment you sit down so they can turn over the table, it is pushy all along. We had 3 different people ask us if we were ready to order in our first 3 minutes in there.
The most obnoxious of all is the manager - stupid smile while he hustles you or ignores any criticism or questions. We were freezing outside while the heaters weren't working - and all he said is he's ordering some tomorrow. Like that helps our evening at all.
I'm not going here again. Their arrogance will falter when enough people finally get so pissed off with the service that they stop going there.
This place rates an almost 5-star on their food, which is a mix of Singapore-Malay-Thai cuisine. I… Read more »
first place i ever had pineapple fried rice, and have always been a fan ever since!
their roti prata is always a must, and their lunch specials are all superb. just expect it to be busy during the lunch hours. their utama basil chicken and beef is my absolute fave! havent had as good anywhere else!
I am not exactly sure why this restaurant is listed in the fusion category because it is not. A true fusion cuisine is something that combines elements of various culinary traditions while not fitting specifically into any. Banana leaf in my opinion is simply a Malaysian restaurant.
This place is a very popular lunch spot. If you get here after 12pm the wait could be really long (30 minutes or more). Their Hainanese chicken, Belachan Eggplant and Chow Kueh Teow are my favorites. I am also a big fan of their Malaysian Iced Tea (Might be too sweet for those are not used to this kind of drinks). I love their peanut pancake too. Only wish there are no corns in it.
Decided to give this place one last try when Daniele asked me out to lunch today.......and I think it might be my last time there!
I was super impressed when I showed up and the nice hostess came outside and gave me a number and glass of water while I was waiting for Daniele. I thought "Hmmmm maybe this place has gotten better!". We were quickly seated and had the perfect corner table that was roomy. We arrived before the lunch crowd at 11:25am so I suggest get there as early as possible!
I was feeling great with everything and then the food came.....
We ordered Rotti and some Vegetarian Spring Rolls. The Rotti was good but the Spring Rolls were just sprouts and some really strong basil. Plus the peanut dipping sauce was so garlicky that Daniele and I gagged. I only ate one and part of another and then pushed it aside. I ordered the Melaka Eggplant and asked for brown rice instead of white. The brown rice was so undercooked that we had pieces of rice stuck in our teeth and I think I almost broke a tooth! We told the lady that our rice was way undercooked and to toss it out so others don't get it. She was nice about it and refunded the $1 charge for brown rice. My Melaka Eggplant was only okay...it tasted like sweet and sour sauce which I am not a fan of. Plus I didn't feel like I got that much food for what I paid for.
$20 for my lunch part and completely not worth it.....but at least the company was nice and the service was very good. But I don't think I will be coming back to this place. Wayyy over rated!
I came here tonight with some girl friends for dinner and realized why I had not been back since the… Read more »
Came here for lunch a little after noon and it was slammed. The sweetie and I killed time at Loehmann's across the lot before we headed back around 1 to find out they were still packed. Nonetheless, we headed into our luck as the host said the wait would only be 10 minutes.
Seriously the next minute, we were told that a table opened up, how cool right? Kindof. After being seated and given waters, soup and a menu, we had to wait probably a good 10-15 minutes before we could order because even though they seated us quickly nobody was put in charge of our table, bad service!
Then, an Asian waiter by the name of Kelvin noticed us. Thankfully for his great service we got to order our food, not to mention he was super friendly and attentive, always keeping an eye on us if we needed anything or just to ask us how our meal was.
Now to the food. Between the two of us, we split the thai basil fried rice which I liked alot despite it being somewhat bland. It came with nicely textured and cooked calamari and chicken pieces, nothing chewy. Nothing special about the Roti Prata, it was a good full of flavor appetizer, curry sauce was delicious. The beef red curry was good, didn't care so much about the eggplant but at least it was all flavorful. Indian Mee Goreng was so so, I've had better at Layang Layang IMO.
Sweetie's thai iced tea tasted and looked like chocolate milk but my mango and strawberry sodas were tasty. Our meal came out to $45 and we decided to tip $15 because we were so thankful for Kelvin's service. He's the best waiter there, so try to get the tall asian guy with the glasses. After our meal we opted for dessert but thank to Kelvin he told us not to get the sticky rice dessert because it's not like the traditional mango and sticky rice. Good looking out!
3 stars for the food, 5 stars for the service
Its been a long time since I've eaten at Banana Leaf, way before Yelp was around!
A coworker and I went here for lunch and it was basically the same as I remembered. The restaurant itself has expanded since I was there (that probably tells you how long its been!) so there was a ton of seating and we didn't have to wait at all even though it was right at noon.
We ordered the Roti Telur as an appetizer. YUM! A delicious, flaky light bread layered with egg and served with a light curry sauce to dip in. This was probably my favorite part of the meal.
For my main meal, I had the Siam Salmon. It had a chef's special "Laska Flower Sauce" and fresh mangoes. Overall, it had a good flavor but the salmon was pretty overcooked in my opinion. Maybe that's how the meal is suppose to be served, but I like my salmon moist and flaky dry and crispy. It wasn't like shoe leather, or jerky or anything...but it was definitely a bit on the dry side.
I have to say, overall I am just not all that impressed....which if I remember correctly was my same opinion when I've gone in the past.
good food for thai/malaysian/singaporean fusion.
roti prata is good. ice cendol was nice for dessert.
the only bad part is the line. you have to wait to get into the place. because of the food are good and the service are great.
fortunate for me, since I'm a regular customer, they always have a table for me or whomever I come in with.
so, if you are up for asian fusion, check out this place. you'll leave happy.
Solid Malaysian food, authentic with great service.
Went here last night with two out of town friends. We ordered a lot of food, but were generally pleased with the authenticity (we've been to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore). Service is much better than your average asian place... very crowded and popular, but the wait was only about 25 min for 4. They were busy on Friday night all the way to 9:30 pm.
Here's the breakdown:
Appetizers:
Roti Prata: solid, not very greasy. nice curry sauce
Poh Pia: among the most authentic we've had in the Bay Area. The only
place we've seen that's even close to the authentic wrapper. Nice
sauteed daikon with dried shrimp and egg. A winner
Chicken satay: solid sauce and authentic
green papaya salad: a little bit funky on the taste, definitely not your
typical thai style... more heat with less fish sauce and more of a
dark chinese style sauce... not sure if this is Malaysian style...
Entrees:
Char kway Teoh: noodles were narrower than I am used too. Flavors
were good.
Banana leaf sea bass: WOW... excellent flavors. very savory dish.
our favorite.
Hainan Chicken Rice: solid. Authentic flavors. Nice savory chicken
infused rice.
Mango chicken: big disappointment... sort of sweet and sour-esque
with a heavy hand of ketchup -- avoid this one.
Pineapple fried rice: surprisingly tasty... nice flavors.
Singapore chili shrimp: sweeter and less heat than what I had in
Singapore, but flavorful nonetheless.
After eating ourselves to discomfort here are our picks:
1. poh piah and chicken satay for appetizers
2. banana leaf grilled sea bass, hainan chicken rice, and
singapore chili shrimp for entrees.
Service was much better than i anticipated, and the prices were reasonable!
We'll be back.
I'm a big talker. It's how I connect with people. It's not surprising then that one of my favorite pastimes is catching up with friends and family over a nice meal. However, when I come to Banana Leaf conversing is the last thing on my mind.
Once the first dish makes it to the table, I'm useless when it comes to conversation. I'm way too busy savoring every bite to even look up from my food.
A must for starters is the Roti Prata. A crispier, lighter version of Naan with a deliciously chewy texture and served with a tasty curry dipping sauce.
You truly cannot go wrong with any dish on the menu. I've sampled the Penang prawns, curry beef, rempah chicken, and Rendang beef and been pleased with all my selections. I love that every dish has it's own distinctive taste and flavor, a difficult feat at other Asian restaurants where sometimes the dishes meld together and begin to taste alike.
And to wash it all down, I highly recommend having the Ice Chendol. A Malaysian shaved ice complete with jello, red beans and coconut milk. It's icy, milky, refreshing, and perfect with your meal or as a dessert.
Although the food is tops, what's truly impressive is their service. I don't know of many restaurants where I receive consistently excellent service regardless when when I come in. Whether a quick bite at lunch or to enjoy dinner, the service is always prompt, attentive, and warm. You never have to wait for anything at Banana leaf; whether it's a table, a refill, silverware, your order, or the check, the service is run like a well-oiled machine.
Banana Leaf has all the makings of a great restaurant: terrific service, an authentic menu, and food that will leave you speechless.
Excellent food but you better call for reservation or arrive early. This place is packed from opening til late at night. This place will be noisy once the dinning room is filled. If you like a romantic place, go somewhere else. This place is set up for food lovers.
Best Roti Prata and Saday ( either beef or chicken ) in bay area. Please don't compare with the 'real' thing in South East Asia but they are very close.
Most of the dishes have lots of sauces so they are good to go with steam rice.
If you can handle the fishy flavor of shrimp paste, go for dishes with Belachen sauce.
I personally like the curry lamb, Hainan chicken and egg plants with Belachen sauce.
Milpitas, CA
Category: Malaysian
Milpitas, CA
Category: Singaporean
Milpitas, CA
Category: Thai
San Jose, CA
Category: Singaporean
San Jose, CA
Category: Thai
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