Malayan Seafood Laksa (Photo by Pinggot Zulueta)

Since more Filipinos are traveling to countries in the Southeast Asian region and a great number of Asian restaurants are opening around the metro, the demand for exquisite albeit exotic cuisines from the region is growing rapidly. These distinctive cuisines have grown from mere alternatives to mainstream markets.

One of the restaurants that pioneered the heightened interest in Southeast Asian cuisine is Banana Leaf, an international restaurant that prides on serving authentic contemporary Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisines.

“What sets us apart from other Southeast Asian restaurants is that we serve authentic signature creations made exclusively with ingredients sourced from its appropriate home countries, and developed by our roster of international chefs trained and immersed in true Asian tradition,” said James Aguilar, general manager of Banana Leaf.

Stepping into the restaurant, first time diners can easily get an overt Asian feel. The aroma of fiery curries, fresh herbs, and spices literally lures the appetite into expectant rumbles. This is complemented by Malaysian music humming on the background, and of course, sheets of banana leaves placed on the tables which diners are encouraged to use as plates.

In general, Southeast Asians are partial to sourness and spice, taking it from ingredients such as tamarind, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, whole chillies, fresh herbs, onions, and garlic. Their cuisine is nothing but conventional, it’s either you like it or not. The servings are not exactly pretty works of art, but the flavours are artfully blended in such a way that each ingredient shines on its own without overpowering the whole dish.

People who frequent Banana Leaf are often Southeast Asian expats craving for their home grown food in a foreign country. Filipinos who have traveled to aforementioned countries find pleasure in having the same dish they had abroad to be shared with their families here. The menu could be a little restrictive though since it especially caters to a foreign market. But the people from Banana Leaf look at this as a challenge to introduce these unfamiliar flavours and varieties to a wider Filipino market. “Dining at Banana Leaf is like taking a culinary tour around Asia without leaving the country at all,” Aguilar said.

For starters, diners shouldn’t miss having the Malaysian puffed wheat bread, Roti Canai, served with curry sauce. It’s the Asians version of bread and butter only more savory because of the curry sauce. For the soup their bestsellers are: Malayan Seafood Laksa, Malaysian seafood soup with mussels, peeled shrimps, squid, and crabsticks served in a creamy laksa soup with vermicelli noodles; and Tom Yang Kung, Thai spicy prawn soup flavored with lemongrass, served with straw mushroom, galangal or ginger, and fresh lemon leaf. The soups are traditionally very spicy but diners can request for mild or medium spice.

Asians are big on rice and the Thais take their rice seriously. Nasi Goreng Nenas is a sweet and savory rice dish cooked with diced chicken, shrimp, Chinese sausage, fresh egg, pineapple slices, green peas, and onions. For noodle lovers, they also have a Malaysian fried noodle dish, Penag Char Kway Teow, rice noodle with shrimp, fish cake, bean sprouts, chives, fresh egg, sambal sauce, and dark soya.

For main course dishes, Southeast Asians are more partial to seafood and poultry owing to their Islamic background: Tilapia Fillet with Assam Sambal Sauce, deep fried Tilapia Fillet topped with sweet and sour and mildly spicy assam sambal sauce; Malayan Chicken Curry with Potatoes, chicken and potatoes in curry sauce flavoured with star anise and coconut milk; and lastly the Singaporean Hainanese Chicken served with Taiwan pechay.

For dessert, they have an assortment of Thai delicacies that are akin to our traditional kakanin: Sago Pudding in Thai Pandan, coconut milk and chopped taro pudding with small white sago; Pandan Pancake Roll with Fresh Coconut, sweetened coconut grates rolled in pandan flavoured crepe, drizzled with brown sugar syrup, and Thai Style layered Cake, slices of pandan and coconut flavoured rice cake topped with fresh coconut grates.

“We’ve been in the business since 2001 and we spent the last ten years preparing our roster of chefs and perfecting the standards of our dishes. And now that we have established ourselves in the Asian culinary scene, it’s about time we move to the next ladder and open our doors to a larger market. One of these steps is the Banana Leaf Asian Café, a more casual dining place where we serve smaller servings and rice toppings for family guests. We also ventured out in catering and delivering to reach out to more customers,” Aguilar said.

Banana Leaf had also received numerous accolades from discerning readers of Philippine Tatler as one of the Philippines’ best restaurants for its exceptional cuisine and service.

Banana Leaf Restaurants are located at Greenbelt, Podium, and the Ayala Terraces in Cebu. Banana Leaf Asian Cafes are located at the Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Robinsons Place Midtown, and SM the Block. For deliveries dial, 212121.