Sunday, January 03, 2010

Jan 2nd - Banana Leaf Malaysian

We went out to dinner after rushing back from Whistler. We went with some friends, P&E and met their newlywed friends J&M. P&E chose:

Banana Leaf on Broadway
820 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1J8
Tel: (604) 731-6333



Banana Leaf (Broadway) on Urbanspoon

I would have rated our last visit here a four but I was disappointed with the black cod. The portion was small, a single, 1 inch steak with a pretty oily sauce. As well, I used to like the 'Pick a Meat and Pick a Sauce' but I guess I can see why that might be complicated for the kitchen. Still, I like it.
Asian restaurants are always easier on mixed dietary requirements. J&M were vegetarians and don't drink. I am a fish eater (for esthetic/taste reasons not moral). The rest are hearty omnivores and oenophiles :0D. So we were going to opt for the 6 person menu but as it turned out it is NOT a good deal if you work out the price of the four mains and various sides. You'll save money by ordering the same dishes separately.

We had Grilled Alaskan Cod in Spicy Sambal in a banana leaf and seared Giant Scallops w Beans and Okra in a Coconut Curry. I had Coconut Basmati Rice served in a banana leaf and D had simple steamed rice. As I mentioned above, this is the dish that has changed my rating for this restaurant from a four to a three.

I've eaten there half a dozen times over the last few years and I've always been pleased. The food is always fresh, cooked to order, and perfect portions (unless you over order). Our favourite dishes are the Black Bean whole cod, the Abundance of Seafood Curry, Sambal Eggplant. But really, there is alot of wonderful dishes that are worth trying. They stay true to style on the area of asia around Malay with the curries and spices. Reasonably priced but not typically cheap as asian restaurants here can be. Mains are about 20 bucks. Wine list is a bit wanting but not bad.

We shared a bottle of Mt. Boucherie Riesling.

0 Leave a / Read COMMENTs: