First time at Banana Leaf Asian Cafe

My husband and I had a date last Saturday. We have no plans, we just want to go out by ourselves that time and enjoy each others company. We went to Robinson Ermita to have a lunch, he recommend dining in “TGIF” since we haven’t tried eating there. But, since my impression of the place was being too expensive I declined (now I wish I never did). Since he wants to try something new and at a not so expensive price, we decided to dine in at Banana Leaf Asian Cafe.

Since I already tasted some Japanese and Chinese foods, I think this maybe the right time to try cuisines of other nearby Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and even India and that’s what Banana Leaf has to offer.

The place is neat and very comfortable since when we entered there are lots of vacant seats available.

panoramic shot of the place

I don’t know what to order, so I decided to look for the mark that indicates if it’s the Chef Choice or Banana Leaf’s specialty. In choosing food, I am not that adventurous like my husband who always want to try anything new to him.  I am afraid to be disappointed in the end, and that’s why I still order foods that are familiar to me.

We ordered the following:

• Deep Fried Pandan Chicken P168.00 (appetizer)
• Hong Kong Curry in Chicken P178.00 (for me)
• Hainanese Chicken – Set Meal P198.00 (for Noel)
• Stir Fried Mango and Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce P208.00
• Iced Lemon Grass with Honey P68.00 (for me)
• Iced Tea Tarik – Malaysian Pulled Tea P68.00 (for Noel)

The first food they served was our appetizer the Pandan Chicken.  I already tasted this kind of food when I bought a ready to cook variety from SM Supermarket.  But the Pandan Chicken in Banana Leaf is really satisfying and we really enjoyed the sweet taste of it.

Our main course comes next, mine is the Hongkong Curry and Hainanese Chicken for Noel. One of my favorite dishes is chicken curry but maybe I got used to eating the Filipino style of the said dish (which is not that spicy) that is why I did not enjoy the Hongkong curry that much.  The curry is too flavorful for me, so I just asked Noel to finish my food since I really can’t eat it all. 

On the other hand, Noel enjoyed his Hainanese Chicken.  It come up with 3 different sauces: the ginger sauce, the chili sauce and the sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).  He finished it all and was very satisfied with it. 

The waitress also served the Stir Fried Mango and Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce.  This dish is superb, I like how it tingles in your mouth.  The sweetness and sourness of the mango and the chili sauce is perfect for the juicy shrimp.

We finished our meal with my Iced Lemon Grass with Honey and Iced Tea Tarik for Noel (I forgot to take pictures).  The Iced Tea Tarik is a must try drink in Banana Leaf, the lemon grass on the other hand is a so so drink for me.

Overall, since dining there is for Noel’s early birthday celebration it’s good to know that he enjoyed the food.  For me, maybe next time I will try their other dishes and maybe at that time I will be more satisfied.

 
what ever happens in life we should always remember to live life to the fullest