Banana Cafe — Restaurant in Sabah

We stayed at Sepilok Jungle Resort, where the Banana Cafe is conveniently located. The resort also features a travel agent, a small souvenir shop, and a massage spa, all adding to the convenience of the stay. As part of the Bilit Adventure Lodge tour of the Kinabatangan River, we were scheduled to meet for an inclusive lunch at this cafe/restaurant. Additionally, the cafe is just a few minutes' walk from both the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

The cafe's setting is beautiful, overlooking a natural-looking pond full of fish of various sizes. Birds and butterflies can often be seen from the dining tables, and the pond with turtles, including at least two varieties, one of which was the Red-eared Slider, is clearly visible from the seating area.

The food was generally good, with the following dishes ordered:

Lunch: ● Jungle Fern – RM 18 ● Steamed Rice – RM 4 ● Sepilok Curry Beef Rice – RM 28 ● Papaya Juice – RM 15 ●Lemon Juice – RM 15

Dinner: ● Cantonese Beef Rice – RM 28 ● Cheese Burger & Chips – RM 22 ● Papaya Juice – RM 15 ● Lemon Juice – RM 15

While the meals were mostly enjoyable, we found the hamburger bun and fries a little dry. The Cantonese Beef with Rice, which consisted of stir-fried beef with Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrot, and tomato, was slightly sweet for our taste, though not unpleasant. The Sepilok Curry Beef with Rice – a stir-fried dish with beef, onion, ginger, spices, and coconut milk – was particularly tasty.

Though there weren’t any desserts on the menu, a fridge stocked with packaged ice cream was available for sale.

The café was quite popular with tourists, with most tables occupied at breakfast time. Breakfast was included in the accommodation cost and offered a buffet with a variety of options, including bread, eggs, baked beans, hotdog sausages, fried noodles, and watermelon, alongside tea and coffee. The staff were professional and attentive, and the service was fast...

Beautiful location, but very disappointing food and service

The setting is absolutely stunning, which makes it all the more disappointing that the food was such a letdown. We were skeptical about trying the local dishes based on other reviews, so we went with what seemed like the safest choice — a few beers and a burger. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake. I've traveled to over 20 countries, and this was by far the worst "burger" I've ever had — honestly, it shouldn't even be called one.

The ladies working there seemed friendly enough, but the service was pretty much non-existent. It’s a shame because the place has so much potential thanks to the beautiful views and atmosphere. Hopefully they can improve the food and service to match...

Do NOT visit if you have dietary requirements, especially vegan or allergies. There is nothing vegan on the menu, and the vegetarian options include fish sauce so you need to ask to remove it. They give false information about ingredients as I was repeatedly told to eat products made from egg and milk, and even after explaining my dietary requirements I was given a plate of noodles with egg. The only thing I could eat was french fries which came in wooden bowls covered in black mould. The staff have been continuously rude and not understanding at all. Most meals came differently to how they were described in the menu and they were frequently unable to serve dishes due to not having the correct...