Banana Leaf: Going bananas over Southeast Asian food

MANILA, Philippines - Gingerly, you tear a piece off a huge flatbread called roti canai that’s flaky and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and imagine you’re in Malaysia — or in India or Nepal or Sri Lanka from where this flattened/oiled/folded/grilled bread is said to have originated. It is best dipped in curry sauce.

You order Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng), the same dish that had US President Barack Obama oozing with superlatives when he tried it during his state visit to Indonesia last year. Little wonder why this stir-fried spicy rice (with prawns, chicken, and a secret Malaysian spice, plus a fried egg on top), also called Indonesia’s national dish, got the presidential thumbs-up.

Who’s cooking: Executive chef Lenny Yu cooks up Southeast Asian favorites at Banana Leaf.

Its name is a tongue twister, but it certainly is a palate pleaser: char kway teow. Literally, it means stir-fried rice cake strips, a popular noodle dish in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. There are oodles of good stuff in this noodle staple — a Penang wok of art that’s freshly made with prawns, bean sprouts, fishcakes, egg, chili, soy sauce, and never fails to seduce with its smoky flavor.

Say ‘Hi!’ To Hainanese Chicken

And ah! The Hainanese chicken will give you a gastronomic high! Food note: Did you know that this time-cherished dish was brought over to Penang, Malaysia by Hainanese migrants from China in the 1870s?

Am I talking about the restaurants I’ve tried during trips to countries in the Southeast Asian region?

Nope, I’m sharing my culinary journey around Southeast Asia, which you, too, will experience when you dine at Banana Leaf.

“Banana Leaf has been serving Southeast Asian cuisine for more than 10 years now,” says David Guevarra, operations manager of Banana Leaf. “In terms of Southeast Asian food, we’re the pioneers. Basically, we were the ones who introduced Southeast Asian cuisine — that means Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Indian. Here, there’s Japanese, there’s Filipino, but there was no Southeast Asian resto until Banana Leaf came along.”

One-Stop Asian Food Destination

Turning over a new leaf: David Guevarra, Banana Leaf operations manager; James Aguilar, Banana Leaf general manager; Alma Gruenberg, vice president, Citibank Cards Retail Marketing Group; Anna Disini, assistant vice president, Citibank Cards Retail Marketing Group; Mellany Montemayor, Citibank program manager at Banana Leaf in TriNoma

Yes, the best Southeast Asia can offer in terms of food you can now find under one stylish roof: Banana Leaf.

Complementing Banana Leaf’s all-Asian mouthwatering menu is its heartwarming contemporary Asian ambience — the coconut panels on the posts, the wave works on the walls to represent the water element. Yes, this locally-owned chain of restaurants was designed by a Malaysian firm.

And as its name suggests, you eat your food on a banana leaf with your hands. David notes, “To complete the feel of the Asian experience, we serve food on banana leaves.”

“It’s part of the dine Asia motto that we have,” says James Aguilar, Banana Leaf general manager. “Even our music is contemporary Asian.”

Its owners may have taken a leap of faith when they introduced Banana Leaf, but the concept was certainly warmly accepted by Filipinos. And now, young and old who want to try something new and exciting are going bananas over Banana Leaf.

Chef Attraction

Now, you might ask how authentically Southeast Asian is the food served at Banana Leaf ?

Banana Leaf maintains a roster of master chefs that come from different parts of the SEA region. Heading the kitchen is executive chef Lenny Yu, an expat from Hong Kong, who has been master chef for many hotels.

Oodles of noodles: Banana Leaf’s char kway teow noodle dish (P188) is just like what you’ll find in Malaysia or Singapore.

“If you order a Malaysian or Vietnamese dish, for example, the person cooking the dish is from Malaysia or Vietnam, too,” James points out. “We make sure that the spices we use for that dish also come from Malaysia or Vietnam. We source the best ingredients to make our dishes as authentic as possible.”

James hastens to add, “We don’t mix Western with Asian cuisine. We have nothing against fusion but as much as possible, we would like to offer our market only authentic products from the Southeast Asian region.

People who travel to those places always compare our food with those in the countries they’ve been to. And always, they find it the same in terms of quality and taste.”

Shall we leaf through the pages of Banana Leaf’s menu? For starters, sure to tease your taste buds are the crispy Vietnamese spring rolls (P128) or the Indonesian gado-gado (P138) that’s a delightful mix of cooked and raw vegetables topped/tossed with peanut sauce.

Name It, They Herb It

To warm the heart and the belly is the very famous bah kut teh (P208), a herbal stew spiced with all sorts of aromatic spices, with chunks of pork and mushroom floating on it. 

David candidly relates, “I heard from one of our master chefs that bah kut teh is an aphrodisiac. It’s served really hot. With Asian food, you have to eat it straight from the wok, while the food is hot or the taste will be gone.”

Clamming up: Stir-fried clams with Singaporean chili sauce (P238), which comes free for a minimum spend of P1,000 if you use your Citibank credit card

Of course, you just have to order Banana Leaf’s Hainanese chicken (P298/half). James gushes, “Our Hainanese chicken is excellent! We can invite our competitors to try it out for themselves. It comes with chili sauce, dark soya sauce, and ginger sauce. They’re normal sauces, but nobody prepares them like we do. But even with the sauce, our Hainanese chicken is simply delicious!”

I agree with a hearty burp!

Also being passed back and forth at our table were the tilapia fish fillet with the sweetish Malayan cream sauce that’s made of oatmeal; stir-fried clams with Singaporean chili sauce; tilapia with assam sambal (sour chili) sauce that’s spicy hot. But you don’t have to call a fireman to put out the fire if you burn your tongue.

“We serve our dishes medium spiced,” James assures us. “But for authentic people coming from the region, they always ask for a spicier product. It’s not pre-prepared so the spices can be adjusted to suit the guest’s preference. Everything is always freshly prepared here.”

To cool down, we succumb to these sinful temptations for dessert: sago pudding and pandan-flavored pancake crepe with grated coconut filling.

Hot Offers In The Citi

To spice up its offerings even more, Banana Leaf has tied up with Citibank.

“If you look at where our cardholders dine, Banana Leaf comes out as one of the top 100,” says Alma Gruenberg, vice president, Citibank Cards Retail Marketing Group. “That’s one of the reasons why we partnered with them. In addition to that, of course, we want our Citibank customers to have a wide range of restaurants to choose from, whatever cuisine they prefer. We want to ensure we have a good lineup that’s why we chose Banana Leaf to be part of Citi Dining Privileges. We aim to give our customers the best dining deals. It could be a discount, a free dish our cardholders will enjoy. And the good thing about Citi Dining Privileges is you get these privileges in more than 1,000 locations in the Philippines and 5,000 locations in Asia. So, wherever you go in the Philippines, there’s bound to be a place where you can enjoy the privileges of Citibank.”

Prawn stars: Stir-fried oat prawns Singaporean style (P388)

For Banana Leaf, diners get a discount depending on the card they have. If they have a Platinum Credit Card, they get a 20-percent discount. For Gold and Classic Credit Cards, they get a 15-percent discount.

The promo period runs all year round — up to 2012. “We want to make sure it’s not just one or two weeks. We want you to enjoy something all year round. And every now and then, we come up with special tactical programs. Banana Leaf is one of the key merchants of the program,” Alma elaborates.

From Aug. 4 to 11, for a minimum spend of P1,000, Banana Leaf is giving out its stir-fried clams with Singaporean chili sauce (P238), one of the bestsellers, for free on top of the discount if you use your Citibank card. So, if you’re a Platinum Cardholder, you get a 20-percent discount plus a free dish.

“We also have promo packages which you will find very interesting,” David shares. “Starting from P299, with a lot of items to it, to P599 per head — not the normal food you’ll be getting from normal caterers.”

And things are just starting to heat up at Banana Leaf. If you’re not yet a convert, don’t you think it’s about time you turned over a new leaf?

Gastronomic high: Banana Leaf’s Hainanese chicken

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Banana Leaf Asian Café is located at Power Plant Mall in Makati City, Midtown at Robinsons Place Manila, Greenhills Promenade, SM The Block, North Edsa, Quezon City. Banana Leaf is found at Greenbelt 3, Makati; The Podium, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City; The Terraces at Ayala Center Cebu; TriNoma, North Avenue, Quezon City.