Drat. The restaurant we were looking for in the guidebook was no longer in business. After making a 3rd turn around the corner we had to think quickly before our 3 year old would have had enough. We decided to head down Broadway, just south of the downtown where there is a diverse selection of restaurants. There the big yellow awning stood out to us – Banana Leaf. ” Banana Leaf ” is the most popular name for a Malaysian restaurant. Most are not affiliated with each other.
The Banana Leaf in Vancouver has 3 locations. We were at the 820 West Broadway location. The other locations serve mostly the same menu – with some variations, so if you are going there for a specialty, call first to inquire if it’s available that day. If you drive to the restaurant park around back; there are about 10 spaces. The restaurant is decorated in vibrant yellows and reds with cloth and paper accents on the wall and hanging from the ceiling. There are different souvenirs and posters from Malaysia as decoration. We started out with the usual roti canai, which is a flat Indian bread served with a small bowl of curry sauce for dipping. It was good. Still to date the best roti canai I’ve had has been at “Banana Leaf” in Daly City (just south of San Francisco) California where it is prepared and stretched by hands when you order. The Daly City Banana Leaf is one of the few Malaysian restaurants in the States with Chicken Rendang.
Chicken Satay
The satay was done correctly – the first bite is crispy, then tender and juicy underneath. They were was seasoned well with turmeric, coriander, lemon grass. We decided to go with the lunch specials; each is served with rice and vegetables in a slightly sweet coconut curry. We chose beef rendang and curry chicken. We asked for each to be very spicy since we knew that a 10* spice level in Vancouver is about a 5*-6* back home. Neither came out spicy, however the rendang was still enjoyable.
Next time I will try the chili prawns or a crab dish, since fresh seafood is one of Vancouver’s greatest strengths. Note that if you are visiting during lunch time, it’s best to narrow your choices down to a few before calling your server over.
Beef Rendnag
