Ethnic Eats » Malaysian

Banana Leaf Mediocrity

degan — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:56:13 +0000

I’ve always found it somewhat embarrassing that I’ve never been to Banana Leaf. It’s the granddaddy of Malaysian food in Vancouver and it was on the list… it just wasn’t quite high enough on the list to make it a destination. My granny’s been in the hospital though, and there aren’t a lot of options in that area that have both beer and good food, so off we went.

I was almost giddy seeing the beautifully decorated room and the menu. We ordered a round of Singapore slings to start things off right, but when it arrived I found it bland and underwhelming. I chalked that up to not really having a liking for umbrella drinks to begin with and ordered a beer chaser.

But then the roti canai came and it was okay, but also a little greasy. Same with the satay. The beef rendang was drier and chewier than it needed to be and the laksa looked promising but it was chewy too. I wanted to order the black rice pudding but I just didn’t want to be disappointed again.

Beautiful rooms, multiple locations and a solid reputation mean that it was full late on a Tuesday night and will continue to be popular with Vancouverites, but I can’t help wondering if they’re coasting a bit.
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Banana Leaf
820 W Broadway, Vancouver (+ various)

Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants

degan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:52:37 +0000

Photo Credit: ecstaticist.

So I’ve dedicded to start a new project for dining in 2010. The tagline of this site is “Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver” and so instead of of traipsing around Vancouver’s culinary delights in the random way I have been for the last (almost) 2 years, I am going to present my finds country by country.

I still have a bit of a backlog of reviews, so I may post those interspersed with the project and if I feel really keen, I may even post some recipes.

First stop on the grand tour: North America. Got any favorites you’d like to recommend?

Jonker Street, a Vancouver Address

degan — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:46:51 +0000

A bowl of soup on a cold day is heavenly and I do like a good laksa once in a while. Laksa, is a spicy seafood and noodle soup from Malaysia, usually filled with vermicelli noodles, coconut milk, and assorted seafood with a dab of sambal chili paste on top for added heat. Heading into Jonker Street in Yaletown, I was most impressed when I saw their laksa ($8.90), with fish balls, slices of fish cake and prawns resting on a bed of bean sprouts. It didn’t quite deliver, however. The bowl was filled with large pieces of shellfish and fish cake which tasty a bit fishy and the noodles had a plastic feel to them, but the broth is exactly as oily and spicy as it needs to be.

The beef rendang ($11.50 at lunch) smelled delicious and meaty and came served with jambori rice and salad and pappadum. The salad was fresh and coated in a tangy citrus dressing that complemented the main dish nicely, but the beef was a bit on the dry side and much too chewy. Beef rendang is cooked over a slow fire in coconut milk with aromatic spices and can be wonderfully tender. Pondok does a good one, and Jonker Street’s was flavoured well, but could have done with a little less cooking time.

Nevertheless, it is authentic Malaysian food for a reasonably good price. They have a good selection of dishes and even the drinks are exotic. I’ve had iced cincau ($2.80) , which is a grass jelly concoction served over ice. It’s a delicious coffee-esque drink without the caffeine and is strangely refreshing. Likewise, the iced lychee drink is a sweet favorite.

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Jonker Street Restaurant
1128 Pacific Blvd., Vancouver