It’s been a while that I’ve wanted to dine at the Banana Leaf. We checked out their menu last Christmas, and I was ecstatic to find out that they also have roti there. So I said to myself that I’ll try this Thai Restaurant in Cebu and indulge in those roti (hopefully similar to Spice Fusion).
Fast forward to April 2009, and we finally got the chance to dine at the Banana Leaf. It wasn’t my craving for a roti that got us there but for the reason that Casa Verde and Sunburst were already full. Al Fresco dining at HIGH noon is not an option!
Those two were our top choices because primarily they are the more affordable choice over Banana Leaf or La Tegola among those Ayala Cebu restaurants not yet reviewed.
** Shameless Plug Alert ** Jon and I went out on a Sunday to have a lunch meeting with our client. You can check out the photos here: Cebu Engagement Photography.
Diners in Banana Leaf are treated with a bowl of kropek as appetizers after getting your order and confirmed that you are really eating there! So far this is one of two restaurants in Cebu (that I know) that serves free kropek. The other one is Flavours of China.
You might be wondering why they named the restaurant Banana Leaf. The above photo I think would answer that question. I did not confirm this one with this Cebu restaurant, I’m just assuming. As a Pakalista and food blogger I should have you know? Maybe next time we’ll know. You know? (Manny P., isdatchu? — Shel)
As I told you earlier, I was curious about their roti because I was addicted for a while to Spice Fusion’s roti. The roti that we tried wasn’t the same as the one in Spice Fusion because I was won over by their staff’s sales talk on their Roti Canai Supreme as their best seller.
The Roti Canai Supreme with Banana is a good treat not as an appetizer but as dessert because it is sweet. You can have other choices aside from the banana like kaya, garlic, or chilli and spring onion. If like me you’re craving for a different kind of roti, then might as well order the Roti Canai and pair it with their curry sauce.
Is it just me or isn’t that white something under the Roti Canai Supreme seem to be out of place? I believe that white thing is called a doily, and it also serves as oil absorber but that’s just my theory. I definitely want to try roti with kaya. — Shel)
In a Thai restaurant, it is almost a must to try their famous specialties like their Pad Thai noodles. I didn’t get to try the Pad Thai that time but had the Penang Char Kway Teow Noodles, which is Banana Leaf’s best-selling noodle, at least according to their waitress.
I was not disappointed with the Penang Char Kway Teow. It’s almost similar to the usual Pad Thai noodle but the main difference is that it’s spicy and that’s something I really like!
Banana Leaf’s Deep Fried Squid in Spicy Garlic immediately became my favorite because it was overly smoothered with garlic! I so so love garlic! Although after eating quite a lot of garlic, I had to rethink before opening my mouth and speaking up close hahahaha!
Overall it was good first dining experience at the Banana Leaf. Would I go back? Yes, definitely! Would I recommend it to family and friends? Yes, yes, yes, and bring a lot of people to split the tab! Hehehe.
Photo credits: Jeffroger Kho
First time here in DiningCebu.com?
You might wanna 
subscribe to the RSS Feed or subscribe by Email so you won’t miss any of the cool updates!
*****
Just in time for the rainy days… lunch delivered to your offices….
June 4th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
last time i ate at Banana Leaf was when i was still in Manila. that was a long time ago! i’ll definitely try this. your pictures are making me hungry.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Banana Leaf definitely did not measure up to mye xpectations, only their roti was good, oh and the dalandan juice too! You are lucky you didnt try their Pad Thai, it was blah to say the least, I couldn’t decide what taste they were trying to achieve but not being successful in it. I even got a free roti certificate the next time I dine but I think I’ll skip on this one…definitely not going back.