Banana Leaves Asian Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

For a Saturday night it is quiet. But that is okay with me. I'm at the bar and another is here at the bar as well. Tables are full but no wait. People coming in to pick up take out seem like regulars which is a good sign. No sushi chef hello! I miss that. Same as the Rikasa place I went to last night. And where is the little cucumber salad chef treat? Not here. I miss that too. The small things, right? Sushi chefs are right at the door and should give a greeting. Sushi restaurant 101.

Dirty menus but otherwise the place is clean. Could use a little more volume to the background music but at least it is not too loud. Lower is better than louder.

Service is prompt and courteous. Food is FAST. Miso soup is delish chauk full of tofu. Could be a little warmer. I like a very hot miso to sip. Sushi arrived half way through Miso. Too soon.

California Roll pieces are perfect size, but a little too big on nigiri sushi pieces. California roll crabmeat is go my to be your basic - not freshly minced. You know, you don't want too small but too big is difficult to eat in one bite. These are only SLIGHTLY too big. But excellent! Fresh. Great rice. Your presentations is basic. This is okay. Nothing fancy here.

Ok. This is a three in my opinion. Very average. Not bad. I would definitely come back as a regular if I lived in the neighborhood. It's a neighborhood hang out sushi pan Asian place. Not a...

While in DC for a conference, I was looking for a new place to try close to the hotel. This place popped up on the maps and I decided to give it a try as I wasn’t that familiar with Asian fusion. The large menu was a little intimidating, but decided to try something new. So I settled on the crispy tangerine beef.

I was pleasantly surprised when the meal showed up it was a generous portion and looked scrumptious. The flavors lived up to the visuals and I was treated to a nice citrus flavor with the beef.

This is a great little place, with Little being a keyword. The service is pretty much digital you order and pay all from the app. Worked out well and everybody in my group was taking care of in a timely fashion.

The place was good enough that I decided to come back the second day and try a different dish. I decided to try the mango chicken. Wow good, it wasn’t as flavorful as the tangerine beef from the previous day. A couple people in my party tried the General TSO chicken and it was really good.

During both visits, everyone in our party, enjoyed their food, and felt like it was a good value and had...

Started with the Papaya salad, not quite a traditional Som Tom but was light, flavorful & a decent portion for the price. Satisfying & recommended if you like that sort of green papaya salad. Next up lemongrass chicken buns. Grilled meat nicely done. Satisfying even though the buns were a tad more dense than I expected. Lastly, Curry Laksa. I'm a fan of this dish so was eager to try their take on an old favorite. It was filling but the toppings (tofu, chicken) lacked flavor & would have been better served if pre-marinated in the curry or even salted. With that said, the coconut curry was light & fresh tasting. I was hungry & drained the last drop. I had a pot of jasmine tea which came in an ornate pot & wasn't overpowering or bitter.

Overall a quick stop & since they had just opened for their evening service I was served very quickly. In & out in 40min or less early on a Monday even after lingering a bit over the last cup of my tea. Not sure what it would be like on a weekend or later in the evening but I'd make another stop if I was in the area to try their menu of dishes from...