Yesterday, our little family went out on a family date. Tatay and I did a little bit of shopping while the little one played at the kiddie playhouse in the mall. When we got hungry, we looked for a restaurant to hsve dinner. We usually would just go for fastfood but we're trying a new year new me healthier me thing so we looked for other options. Then we stumbled upon a leafy treasure.
We found Banana Leaf at the lower ground floor of SM Aura. I wasn't expecting that we were actually going to eat on a banana plate but when the waitress prepped our table, there were no plates. She then went back to us and handed 3 pieces of cut banana leaves. I whispered to my husband "Are we really going to eat on the leaf?" Not that I don't like the idea, I am amazed actually. I love boodlefights because it involves eating food on banana leaves. Reminds me of fun childhood memories. I thought to myself, this is going to be a fun experience.
We ordered our food and the waitress informed us that there will be a 25 minute wait so I get to observe the inside of the restaurant. Right across our table I saw a big wall display saying "Dine Asia. Enjoy the taste of true South East Asian cuisine with flavors from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia." I'm no Geography major but I know it's missing a country. I can't quite put my finger to it. Lol! 25 minutes is a long time to wait especially for children so I let the little person doodle and draw on the paper table mat.
The food
For our appetizer, we ordered Deep Fried Pandan Chicken. The only reason we ordered it is because this is one of the very few food on the menu that was not spicy. We avoided fastfood because the little person will just order fried chicken and still we ended up with her eating still another fried chicken. At least it's not fastfood. I checked google and found out that this food originated from Thailand.
The fried chicken though has very interesting flavors. The pandan leaf wrapped around it made it look so appetizing, hence, it's an appetizer. Lol. It passed the picky taste of my little girl so this is highly recommended food from Banana Leaf. It also comes with a delectable sauce, though the chicken itself does not need the sauce.
For our main dish, my husband ordered Beef Rendang. Before our order came, he told me that according to some survey, beef rendang is the world's best food. That makes it a bit more intriguing. Beef Rendang originated from Indonesia (according to google, I checked.) This is the first time I tasted this so I have no comparison against how other restaurants cook this dish. To describe it simply, it's like beef with curry sauce. I was a bit underwhelmed by it but still, it was an amazing dish. It could be because I requested for the spiciness level to be at a medium. I guess I'll have to try other restaurants' beef rendang too.
We also ordered Tofu with basil which is another Thai cuisine. This I love! If I'm to rate this dish, it's a 15 out of 10. I love the crunch of the tofu on the outside and the firmness on the inside. It was served on a stir fried basil (and some other veggies) with I think some sauteed garlic as well. I also love the sauce, it adds so much flavor to the tofu. What I really couldn't get over with is the firmness and crunchiness of the tofu. This is a must try item on their menu.
We ended up eating more rice than we had expected. So much for new year new me healthier me huh? Lol. I promise this is just a one off day for us.
To cap off the delightful meal, we had the Mango Sticky Rice. My husband knows I love biko especially the one my mom makes. So he made me try BananaLeaf's Mango sticky rice. At first I found it an odd combination. But then I realized I used to eat rice with mango before so it shouldn't be that weird. And weird it was not! This dessert, which, to my surprise, also originated in Thailand was surprisingly delectable!
It looks like our dinner was Thai inspired (save for beef rendang). So I guess I wouldn't have a hard time finding food that I'll love in Thailand when (and if) I go there someday. I'll try some other Indonesian dish too, but for now, I am sure that I love Thai cuisine. This dinner turned out to be an interesting topic for our homeschooling. Not only could we learn where they are in the map, we also learned some of their cuisine.
While we were eating, I was so deeply grateful for this experience. I am grateful that we are in the season of our life where we don't need to wait for a soecial occasion to eat out on a restaurant like Banana Leaf. I'm sure there will still be seasons in our life where times will be hard but for now, I am just grateful for my family, for the food, and for the experiences we can afford.
