I must give props to Leon for this entry since he chose Banana Leaf, a well-known Malaysian restaurant. There are four franchises and we went to the one in Kitsilano. Although it was quite a drive, it was definitely worth it when the food arrived.
This particular branch closes at 3pm and opens up later for dinner. Luckily, I was only an hour late for lunch when I finally woke up from my glorious nap.
I arrived at 2pm, so I had to quickly order. Without hesitation, I asked Leon,
What’s good to eat?
Of the dishes he recommended, I set my heart on Singapore Laksa
- Rice noodle in coconut soup base made of dried shrimps, chili, garlic, lemon grass & turmeric with bean sprout, cilantro, tofu, egg, chicken, fish-cake, squid & shrimps.
Just based on the menu description, I was eager to try one of the staple foods of the Malaysian diet. Malaysian cuisine is also known for integrating coconut milk, peanuts and a wide spectrum of spices into its dishes. Furthermore, just as chicken is a very popular meat, so is seafood, beef and mutton – not so much pork though.
For the heat-fearing diners, don’t worry – this delectable bowl of noodles was not tongue-burning at all. I’m guessing it’s because of the coconut milk, which could have neutralised the spiciness quite a bit. Yet, the rich and aromatic flavour was still fully intact.
One thing I really liked about this dish was that there’s a lot of variety. It’s like a treasure chest: you don’t really know what your next bite is going to be – especially after mixing everything around!
All in all, I would definitely devour this again!… I’m actually still craving it now (at 12:42am). And for $8, it’s keeps both your stomach and wallet heavenly happy!
However, I wouldn’t recommend eating this every day since the soup base is made with coconut milk, which is quite high in cholesterol.
Foodobyte’s Rating
