United By Food: Banana Leaf and Curry

I've eaten several times at Banana Leaf in various locations, but never did an entry on them. I think its time to do so, because I've always liked their food. It's consistent, good and reasonably priced.

Banana Leaf can be your one stop shop for ethnic Asian fare including Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indian and Singaporean cuisines under one roof. What could be better than that?

BL is similar to what I would get back home, so I can recommend this place whenever visitors come to Manila. My favorite is the roti canai (similar to naan). I could eat this daily if I had to. As a matter of fact, I need to learn how to make this. I also recommend their Pad See Ew (or as they call it Penang Char Kay Teow). I used to be a fan of Pad Thai long ago, but when I was going to college in SF, I would go to my favorite Thai place and they recommended I try Pad See Ew. I never looked back after that. Instead of the sweet flavor of Pad Thai, Pad See Ew is more complex in flavor....that of burnt/charred soya-sauce with flat noodles. I will also try to make this one day. Other must try's are their curries and the clams in spicy sauce.

With two kids and three adults, we ordered a total of five dishes (one appetizer and four main) the bill came to about P1700 including service charge and VAT. That includes two fruit shakes by the way.