Banana Leaf, and yes, they do serve their rice in it!

My stepdad suggested Malaysian food for our regular Sunday dinner and since he rarely voices his desires, we had to indulge him. His two choices were "Malaysian on Broadway" or "Boathouse in New West". Two totally different choices, but nevertheless, that is what he wanted! 

I have been craving Malaysian food for a few weeks now, and so off we went to Banana Leaf. I know there are lots of rotis in a variety of cuisines, but one of my favourites is the Malaysian style of Roti Canai. These little bundles are delicate and simply layers upon layers of yummy dough. Served with a side of mild curry sauce, they are the perfect vessel for sopping up the saucy goodness. 

Another famous Malaysia dish is their Hainanese Chicken. Now this might take some getting used to since the plate is served "cool". Not cold so that the fat is congealed, but also not hot to the touch. It's also deboned and every bite is full of meaty goodness. The peanuts add a nice crunch, but the best part are the sauces on thee side. The chopped ginger is amazing and makes the chicken really flavourful. Like a bit of heat? Then dip your chicken into the red chili sauce. It's tangy and sweet, but with enough heat to give it a punch. 

We tried another a milder noodle dish called the Ipoh Noodle. It's a piping hot dish made up of flat rice noodles, but they add lots of toppings, such as pork, squid, fish cake, shrimps & vegetables.  The gooeyness factor is achieved an oyster gravy egg sauce.  The richness of this dish means that it's definitely a sharing dish. Try to eat this all on your own, and you'll see just how rich this is. 

We also got the Malaysian Seafood Noodle, with a load of seafood such as scallops, prawns, fish and squid. Made with egg noodles and coated in a sauce made with tamarind, galangal and turmeric, this dish is very rich in flavour, but not blow-your-head off spicy. 

No visit to Banana Leaf is complete without their Satays. We opted for both chicken and beef...four of each. These had a nice grilled flavour to it and just a hint of curry. It's a fun dish, especially for groups and it's a great way to add some meat to your meal, if you're sharing other entrees with vegetarians. Hey, they can have the cucumbers on the side! 

To accompany the Hainanese Chicken, we got an order of regular rice but also an order of Coconut Rice. I loved the presentation, lovingly wrapped in a banana leaf! Once you open up this bundle, the fragrant coconut milk really hits you. The rice is steamed to perfection and not overly sticky, thank goodness! 

Although we don't normally order dessert at these family meals, we felt like we wanted to try something while we were here. We ordered the Kuih Dadar, which is a sweet coconut crepe. The bright green colour comes from the pandan leaves. there is also palm sugar and grated coconut in the batter, and it's delicious. Not heavy, not too rich, but just the thing to end the meal, so save room!

Satisfying another craving Sunday

One of the things I’ve been craving is Hainanese Chicken Rice. I’ve been wanting it ever since I gave up meat for Lent, but the desire kicked into overdrive when I saw Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation in Singapore, home of the Hainanese Chicken Rice. Headed into Richmond’s Aberdeen Mall for Tropika. Not only do they have the rice I’m craving, they have the Roti Canai that haven’t been duplicated anywhere else.
The plan was to get two HCRs and a serving of Roti. That plan fell apart when I decided to try out another appetizer, the Shredded Dry Pork in Sticky Rice Rolls – decorated with a chilli pepper on the menu, so it should be spicy. So the executive decision was made to order half a Hainanese Chicken, and one bowl of coconut rice, the roti and the Sticky Rice Rolls.
The rolls came first and the presentation was pretty cool, little green bundles of joy. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but the description made me think of Chi Fan (minus the Chinese donut and prevserved vegetables). When I peeled the leaf back, I noticed that it was more a ball as opposed to a roll. The dish was piping hot, so I cut the ball open and tried it slowly. It was a little disappointing. The pork was mostly meat floss, and a little bit of actual pork. There was no kick to it, so it really didn’t deserved the “chilli” adornment on the menu. To be fair, they should have called it Steamed Meat Floss Rice Ball.

Then the roti came and they were heavenly. Nice and flaky with tons of pockets to soak up the accompanying sauce. Good thing my friend isn’t a sauce freak (he prefers the traditional sweetness of the roti unfettered) because I used it all on my portion of the roti, with barely a drop to spare.

Last to arrive was the Hainanese chicken. A beautiful plate of meat and bones…a much better balance than if you just ordered the lunch special. You could smell the coconut as the rice landed on the table, but the flavour wasn’t quite there when you actually ate it. The accompanying sauces were pretty meagre, and I actually prefer the green onion and ginger concoction that they serve in traditional Chinese places.

All in all, the meal was not exceptional, but it is exactly as you would expect, minus the rice roll ball. I would still head back to Tropika next time I craved HCR, but will plan on trying some other suggestions that I’ve seen, such as Café D’lite.