Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant — Restaurant in Wellington

Had heard some good reviews of this place, but we had a disappointing experience. Venue is bit stark with very bright lights and not a warm atmosphere. This could be improved with more subtle table and wall lighting. Very basic run down toilet facilities with soap dispenser hanging off the wall - small things which could easily be upgraded. We entered restaurant and there were three tables still with left over plates of food on them which was not a good welcome. Maybe they were short staffed. Friendly waitress, and we had a nice starter. But my partner's main course was goat curry which was more than 75% bone, gristle and something resembling skin, with small fragments of bone, which was hazardous to eat. My meal of seafood curry was OK, but had no spiciness although I requested medium hot. Was even blander than mild. When we pointed out the very poor quality of the goat curry the waitress just offered us a discount of $2 dropping cost from $27 to $25 which was frankly insulting. They should have waived the cost of the meal or at least asked for a minimal charge.

Since writing this review I returned to discuss our experience with the owner who listened respectfully and offered us a full refund for the goat curry - I am very appreciative of this kind gesture from the owner. We will give the restaurant a second chance and hope that our experience last night was just a one off. The owner plans to talk with the chef and rectify the goat curry dish. The owner is clearly proud of their restaurant and strives to produce a good experience for...

Having eaten tons of Malaysian food, i can vouch for this place serving authentic dishes.

If you can take chili padi or sambal belachan,you can ask them to make their rendang and sambal chili "malaysian hot", which is the proper authentic heat level to eat the food at. If you place your order without specifying the heat & spice level as "malaysian hot", you will get something non-authentic, in which case you have no right to complain.

The beef in the rendang has been properly slow-cooked in rich gravy and is very tender, juicy and flavoursome. Remember people, rendang is NOT crispy - REAL rendang made in Malaysia and Indonesia MUST be soaked in tons of gravy!

You want attention to detail? - this place had pandan leaf strips inside the lemak rice! The mere mention of pandan should show you that i know my Malaysian food, having eaten it for over 40 years.

The sambal is really really good and has good "pedas" level (again, this rating is for the true "malaysian hot" one and not the watered-down version, so place your order correctly).

The only minor issue is that the ikan bilis was not crunchy. But then again, i have had nasi lemak in SEA where the ikan bilis wasnt crunchy either, so no marks deducted :) And yes, ikan bilis IS supposed to be salty.

Summary : if u r passing thru this area and want some authentic Malaysian dishes, stop for a meal. ...

14-March-2024

Was back again for a family dinner and had another awesome experience. The best part is the initial conversation and customized guidance on the order options based on your preferences and priorities for the day.

We were recommended: Goat Varuval Chicken Masak Lemak Lamb Murtabak

The Goat id not always on the menu. But if available, definitely worth trying. It was well cooked, soft and very uniquely flavoured. Went well with rice. Although I did add a Garlic Roti on the side.

The Chicken Mask Lemak was a Lemongrass and Coconut milk based curry. Goes well with rice.

The Lamb Murtabak reminded me of the Indian "Mughlai Paratha". Definitely had it's own unique flavor. Nicely done.

Great Malyasian food. We had dinner with my family, son and parents. Really enjoyed the unique tasting dishes.

Reasonable prices.

The Garlic Prawns, Char Ke Teow and the Curry Laksa was brilliant

Came back again in August 2022 with my Wife and Son and had a lovely dinner. All the items we had were top notch. Their food tastes very homely.

This time we had: -Sotong Goreng ( Crispy fried squid with curry leaves ) -Sambal Fish -Seafood Masak -Nasi Lemak with Crispy...