Restaurant Review: Banana Leaf in Trinoma Mall

Banana Leaf Trinoma (Image courtesy of City Roamer.)

Banana Leaf.  To most, banana leaves evoke images of the tropics primarily because this delectable fruit which has caused the suffering of many lives in the early twentieth century (and even now) grows only in warm countries.  It was very rare for Western counties to get bananas that the export market of Latin American countries who grow them through their Western based subsidiary companies have to depend on dictators to promote practically slavery to be able to package and bring them to the US; hence the term, "Banana Republic".

In the Philippines, the imagery involves the days of old when fiesta fare is served on banana leaves rather than the paper and plastic plates of Dixie or some repackaging brand.  It also is reminiscent of the "kamayan" style of eating rather than depending on some plastic cutlery.  In the olden days, when food was a more communal affair than it is now, rice with various flavorings were spread on long uncut banana leaves laid on long tables where all diners are seated beside each other free to just grab anything in the middle to place in front of their seat and eat without any regard for possible bacteria they may share amongst themselves.  I guess everyone trusts each other more easily then.  Anyway, I digress.

Now, Banana Leaf is a chain restaurant in Manila which according to search results serves "Asian" food.  While some Asian countries may have banana trees in their flora and fauna, I really cannot associate all things Asian to the banana - rice perhaps, but not the banana.  However, if one qualifies the cuisine as "Southeast Asian and the Pacific", then probably it may make more sense.  The reason why I am prefacing this review with these comments is that I believe the restaurant needs to find the direction in its concept which will be seen in this review.

Roti Canai (Image courtesy of from Banana Leaf menu.)

Amidst good company, Dr. Paul Pasco of the UP-PGH Neurosciences, Dr. Philip Ian Padilla of the UP Visayas fame and Dr. Frederick Hawson, ENT and Film/Theater/Music critic extraordinaire, we started the meal with Roti Canai.  This is a Malaysian dish and the first time I had it was in a Malaysian restaurant named, Penang in 8th Street by Arch in Chinatown Philadelphia. Usually spicy and may have a tendency to be hot, it has a mixture of ginger, red chillies, tumeric, garlic and usually a paste of fermented shrimp called belacan which incidentally has a similar counterpart in Bicolano cuisine called "balao", which is likewise fermented shrimp that has been shaped into blocks.  But the this spice mixture is sauteed in hot oil and made into a sauce (incidentally the word curry is from the Tamil word, "kari" which means also, sauce) with coconut milk, left to simmer and reduce and usually has bits of chicken meat in it.  It is this dipping sauce that is served with Roti Canai which is the flat bread served with it.  The Roti is flawless as it is puffy and light but the Curry is a bit bland and aside from the sauce, there is not much in it.

Satay Chicken (Image courtesy of Banana Leaf menu.)

Thinking that the Banana Leaf restaurant concept is largely influenced by Malaysian cuisine, I preceded to base the whole meal on what I have had in Penang.  So, the next on the agenda were Satay Skewers which if I believe right, should have several complimentary spices as part of the rub usually coriander, turmeric, garlic, lemongrass among others (many variations as one can make his own masalas which is Indian for curry powder) left with the meat, in this case chicken, to absorb for hours before the grilling.  Once grilled, it is immediately served with the peanut sauce (or Satay Sauce) on the side.  For whatever it is, the Satay Sauce was not very appealing to the tastebuds for it lacked the peanut flavor much less the coconut taste.  The grilled meats were bland.  Again, it seems that restaurant is afraid to venture into new flavors and spices which may be totally new to the Filipino palate and it wanted to play safe yet, Malaysian it is not.

Tilapia Fillet with Malaysian Cream Sauce.
This is what was promised. (Image courtesy of
Banana Leaf menu.)

Then there is Tilapia filet with Malaysian Cream Sauce which I thought was interesting because I was really curious what the chef meant by a "Malaysian Cream Sauce".  Now I researched with the ever convenient Google just to find out if there is actually such a thing and in the website www.asian-recipe.com which pointed to a Malaysian Sauces page; never did I encounter such a concoction; not that they do not use cream in their recipes but still no trace of "Malaysian Cream Sauce".  So, how did it fare with the fried fish fillet?  One word to describe it - "dessert" - with so much questions left unanswered, as in, "Is this a re-conceptualization of fish as a dessert item?  That must be original.  Palatable? Well, hmmmm."  To further describe to the reader what happens mouthwise, well, first the dish is served almost appetizingly with these fried pieces of battered tilapia in a makeshift bowl from the bones and fins of the fish where the fillets came from with this light brownish opaque goo that almost resembles gravy or caramel sauce.  I was quite curious because I was expecting a bit of spice with a balance and counterpoint of saltiness and sweetness usually found in Asian cuisine, Filipino included.  But what I find is crunchy tilapia filets, quite overdone, amidst a sweet sauce reminiscent of Dunkin Donuts' Bavarian Cream.  I cannot fathom the connection between what seemingly was a cream sauce with the character of condensed milk and vanilla on fried fish; likewise, it probably may have more of a Moroccan aftertaste where sometimes sweet and saltiness with a hint of cinnamon.

This closely resembled what arrived on table. I am
quite surprised someone did get an image of
this and posted it on another blog. (Image
courtesy of jowanabueser.com)

Also a word on the presentation, I suggest using a larger white dish to accent the fish and probably a sprig of cilantro or spring onions for color contrast will do; but these are the minimum.

As for the other cravings, the group decided on something a bit accustomed to the Filipino palate, thus, the Phad Thai.  If one were to actually get to the nitty gritty of this dish, one realizes that the main flavoring is essentially similar to that of the Filipino Pancit Bihon for one thing both use noodles that are derived from rice with the former similar to the linguini and the latter similar to the vermicelli.  The difference is the use of lime (as opposed to calamansi) with the inclusion of tamarind pulp and peanuts in Phad Thai. Filipinos are used to the taste of tamarind (as in Sinigang, Sampalok candies), limes (though calamansi is better) and of course peanuts (Choc-Nut and Lily's Peanut Butter).  And still, the dish is as bland as ever.

Noble Leaves as promised. (Image courtesy
of Banana Leaf menu.)

Vegetables.  There is something wrong with the Stir Fried Malaysian Noble Leaves because looking at the picture, I thought they were similar to the Snow Pea Shoots which are lightly sauteed in garlic and hot oil which are seen in Chinese restaurants and with their light crunch and tender leaves, its a perfect flavor to accompany rice.  But what arrived were yellowing stalks of some vegetable which somewhat resemble Snow Pea Shoots but seemingly different from the picture.  Also, they were tough on the teeth, stringy leaving their fibrous residue between the teeth and gums.  It took an all day flossing with several toothpicks to remove the "natural floss"left behind by this dish.

This closely resembled what arrived. One may
account the difference in lighting but I swear, its true!
(Image courtesy of quickdelivery.)

Because the Malaysian theme did not quite sit well with our taste buds, Dr. Pasco decided to just drive the culinary journey home with Nasi Goreng which is literally, "Fried Rice" Indonesian Style.  I think anyone can do fried rice well and certainly a Filipino owned restaurant like Banana Leaf can.  So to end the meal with something that's right at least, gave a denouement to a gastronomic story filled with conflicts and irony.

We end with dessert. The Sago Pudding in Thai Pandan Leaf is at least authentic.  I had the opportunity to try these things by buying them in Asian stores around Philadelphia and it usually has a light hint of pandan with a generally coconut flavor in a sago base resembling the consistency of rice pudding. Light, it was good to draw the curtains and provide closure to the palate.

And last, the Sago Pudding. (Image courtesy
of Banana Leaf menu.)

So Banana Leaf is scenery.  Banana Leaf is using banana leaves as plates rather than dishes and cutlery.  And Banana Leaf is Asian but as to what identity it wants to project is still confusing.  As authentic it may be by its individual offerings; the different directions they take still leave much to be desired.

Acknowledgement. Images courtesy of the respective owners.  I also thank again, Drs. Paul Pasco, Philip Ian Padilla and Frederick Hawson for the wonderful company and conversation!