Authentic tastes at The Banana Leaf Kitchen

 

On a wet and rainy week-night in December, I arrived for dinner. Through the glass-panelled walls, I saw that several tables in the dining hall of The Banana Leaf Kitchen were occupied by diners. I agreed (with them!) that a meal of hot and spicy Indian cuisine should hit the spot on such a wet and rainy night.

 

Facade of The Banana Leaf Kitchen

When I stepped inside, a glance around the dining hall revealed a clearer sight of those dining-in on a wet, week-night – made up of Chinese and Malay families with young children – which (to me!) said a lot about the cuisine here.

 

Later, when I quizzed the serving staff, I learnt that diners could request for their preference of spiciness, whether it was for none at all or for more zing in their dishes.

 

My foodie friends and I were warmly welcomed in by the serving team and shown to a table. Among them was Ms Rinki, who remembered me from those days when I often dined at The Indian Kitchen, once opened at One Medini. This was because my family and I were regulars who enjoyed dining on their buffet spreads.

 

Clockwise from the top: Fried Okra, Cheese
Mutton Seekh, Vegetable Samosa, Papdi Chaat

Speaking of buffets, The Banana Leaf Kitchen presents a buffet deal for both lunch (11am to 4pm at RM24++) and dinner (4pm to 10.30pm at RM35++).

 

This buffet deal offers an all-you-can-eat menu for families and foodie groups who enjoy sharing the gravies to savour with choices of rice and roti/breads. The lunch buffet will include servings of paiyasam from a live-cooking station.

 

Fans of this traditional dessert will be pleased to know that a different variety will be served with lunch every day. They included paiyasam made with rice, dhal or carrot, among other varieties.

 

Clockwise: Chicken 65, Mushroom
Malai Tikka, Paneer Tikka, Ajwan
Fish Tikka (made with shark meat!)

Meanwhile, small eaters may opt to order items from the menu, ala carte for a range of Appetizers, Main Course gravies, Rice, Breads, Beverages and Desserts.

 

A look at their menu revealed that while Banana Leaf cuisine has its origins in South India, they also serve familiar North Indian dishes. This gives diners the best of Indian cuisine prepared by their chefs who are from the North and South India.

 

My friends and I opted to share a number of Appetizers among the four of us that started with popular street food, Papdi Chaat, a chilled, crunchy dish topped with yogurt and dotted with beads of pomegranate.

 

This certainly whet our appetite to sample the next platters of appetizers that came served with a side of mint chutney dip. They included Mushroom Malai Tikka, Ajwan Fish Tikka, Paneer Tikka, and Cheese Mutton Seekh.

 

A popular vegetarian choice of
tasty Mushroom Malai Tikka

I was pleasantly surprised to see that here, Fried Okra was served in cute, bite-size batter-coated cubes instead of complete long fingers with a side of chilli sauce dip.

 

Another appetizer that was served with a side of chilli sauce dip was tender chunks of Chicken 65.

 

One serving of Vegetable Samosa comes with two pieces of samosa so we split up one samosa to share between two of us. No, we did not forget to drizzle a dollop of sweet sauce into its vegetable stuffing before sinking our teeth in.

 

It was a wise strategy to share the appetizers among us so as to save more space to savour a wider variety of food in the main course dishes.

 

A serving of Puri with Chana

When it was served, we saw that the Pulao Rice here glows with a bright yellow shade and when we tasted it, there was a subtle fragrance of rose water.

 

This flavour perfectly complemented the taste of Mango Fish Curry, made with chunks of fresh mango and fish in a gravy, rich with coconut cream. When I asked the serving staff about the chunks of meaty fish, I learnt that it was soora or shark meat.

 

Another choice of rice to savour was Mutton Biryani served with a side of curry and raita. At the table, this rice was drizzled with ghee to add more flavour.

 

Freshly made puri – two discs of (what I call) “flying saucers” – were served with chana or chickpea curry. Aware that these puffed-up discs will quickly “deflate,” I encouraged my friends to first eat the puri with the chana curry.

 

Our divided portions of
refreshing Mango Lassi

We thought that a palate-cleanser could come in the form of chilled Mango Lassi and the serving staff promptly came with one serving, divided into four portions as requested. Sips of this refreshing drink let us pause and prepared us to better savour the next part of our meal.

 

Our choices of roti to enjoy with the gravies were popular picks like Cheese Naan, Garlic Naan and Keema Kulcha, roti stuffed with minced mutton.

 

Two mutton gravies, Mysore Mutton and Kottai Mutton Chukka, and two chicken gravies of Ghee Roast Chicken and the ever-popular Butter Chicken Masala, went down well, wrapped with the roti. No, we did not forget our vegetables and this came in a dish of Bhindi Masala, slices of okra stir-fried with onions and spices.

 

Freshly-made roti and rice to enjoy
 with a range of gravies

Good food and great company were the perfect complement for a leisurely dinner as we polished off our plates – lined with a disc of fresh banana leaf – so apt for a modern café that served authentic banana leaf cuisine.

 

Our meal was not over until we had dessert. So we sat back and continued with conversation while we anticipated the serving of two varieties of Gulab Jamun – the classic and the other, topped with vanilla ice-cream – and Kesari.

 

Throughout our leisurely meal, I observed that diners trickled in, dined and left, and it was close to 10pm when diners were still arriving.

 

My observation reminded me that culturally, the Indian community typically enjoyed dining later in the night compared to the Malay and Chinese communities.

 

Two varieties of Gulab Jamun and Kesari

[We had Indian families as neighbours, so I know they usually eat late. When it was our bedtime, I could smell the tantalizing fragrance of their cooking, hear the sounds made by their pots and pans...]

 

So if you are in this neighbourhood and hankering for a late dinner or supper of Indian cuisine, The Banana Leaf will accept the last order at 10pm before the kitchen closes for cleaning-up and closing time.

 

The Banana Leaf Kitchen is located at No. 2, Jalan Botani 3/2, Taman Eko Botani, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor. Open daily from 11am to 10.30pm.

 

For enquiries and reservations, Tel: +6012 – 788 4037.