Banana Leaf on Robson — Restaurant in Vancouver

We were excited to try a taste of home while we are visiting Vancouver (we are from London, UK & Penang, Malaysia), but were ultimately disappointed by our meal. While we understand some changes are made to suit local taste buds, there were a few things of well-established culinary delights that should not have been tampered with.

Let's start with the good! The char kuey teow was nearly spot on, from using the correct noodles for length and texture, to the right amount of seasoning for taste. Add some lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and a bit more wok hei... perfect! The Ipoh hor fun was also very nice. The satay (we had lamb) was nicely cooked, but could have done with more marinating for extra taste.

The Malaysian lamb stew was woeful. All the lamb shoulder pieces were overcooked; some chunks were so dry, it was inedible. The stew sauce itself was grainy, as if the spices were not fully cooked out and rough.

The sambal green beans lacked flavour. The tomatoes and bell peppers were the cause of the sambal losing its taste in the dish when it is meant to be the star. The bell peppers were also unexpected, as the menu doesn't mention them nor are they in the online menu photo, and two of our guests have a mild intolerance to them.

The Singapore Hainan chicken was dry. Despite the dark soy sauce poured over it, the meat was overcooked. The accompanying chili sauce was watery and sweet, and not the correct type or style. We had to order the rice (which should be served alongside as standard) separately, and that was the most disappointing part. The "Hainan ginger garlic rice" had no ginger or garlic taste at all, and it resembled yellow pilau – the rice had too much turmeric added for colour. Not Hainanese chicken rice at all; a complete mismatch from what was described on the menu, and the photo in the online menu (which is the correct colour).

We also had the caramelised fish fillets and Nyonya calamari, but both lacked depth. The fish were overly sweet, and the calamari were heavily under seasoned tasting just of the light but flavourless batter.

It may have been open for 29 years but either the cooking has changed or there's just a mismatch/misconception of how things should taste and what is then produced to please an unknowing audience - not the audience's fault btw, just unfortunate that they're missing out on really good authentic...

I have been going to Banana Leaf Restaurants in the Lower Mainland for almost 20 years. I went to this BL restaurant May 6, 2015 and it was the worst BL I have ever been to. I ordered a dish that I have ordered dozens of times at other BL locations. The dinner portion was so small, it had a very small amount of chicken, it looked like a lunch special portion and there was little sauce. I brought this to the servers attention, expressed that we were regular customers who ate at BL restaurants extremely frequently and asked if they could talk to the chef to see if they could bring us some more chicken and sauce. The server returned to say; "there is nothing they can do for you". I was shocked. I asked to speak to the manager. The server said the manager will come speak to you but he is a bit busy right now. The server/"manager" Jeffrey C., on duty eventually came to speak to us. I explained to him the exact same thing. Jeffrey explained to us that their portions at this location were smaller than other locations. He said, "I can speak to the chef but don't think they will do anything", but I can offer you a free desert. I said I don't want a free desert, I wanted the chicken dish that I came for, paid $17 for and did not get. I then had to request that he delete the dish from my bill, that I was so unhappy with the dish and the inability for anyone there to make me, a paying customer happy. He appeared visibly caught off gaurd, but agreed to remove it. I asked him for the BL Head Office business card which he did give me and left. He later came to our table to ask me what my name was. I informed him that I would not provide that information, but assured him that I would be calling the Head Office and insist that they follow up with this franchise owner. The food quality at this location compared to other BL restaurants we have been is 5/10, the portion size is 6/10 and the customer service is 5/10. I would never recommend this location to anyone, and share this extremely bad experience with all my friends and colleagues in Vancouver. Avoid this...

I walk past the various Banana Leaf locations all the time and finally decided to give it a try — unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst dining experience I’ve had in Vancouver.

Right from the moment we walked in, the energy felt off. The staff felt so arrogant and disengaged — we were greeted with little enthusiasm, had different servers for seating, ordering, and serving, and none of them made us feel welcome. It seem that all servers were trained to have zero hospitality etiquette. The only one who seemed even slightly attentive was an older Asian gentleman. On top of that, the staff were chatting among themselves louder than the music, which made the atmosphere feel unprofessional. We seriously considered not tipping at all because the service barely met the minimum.

We held out hope that the food might make up for it — but it didn’t. • Mango Papaya Salad: Incredibly basic. It felt like something you could throw together at home in five minutes. (Should have read the other comments first) The chunks of fruit and vegetables were oversized, and the dressing was bland. • Pepper Prawns: Overpriced and underwhelming. The pepper flavor was barely noticeable, and the dish was forgettable. • Lamb Curry: The lamb was dry, chewy, and difficult to swallow. The sauce felt so average it can be out of a jar. • lychee mojito (special offer of the day) super super average.

For two people, three dishes, and one drink, the bill came to $80. It’s expensive for Malaysian food and at that price, I expected at least one standout item or a better overall experience. Sadly, the only thing this meal confirmed is that we won’t...