If you’re anywhere in 20 miles vicinity of Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant make sure to stop by for a delicious bite to eat. Banana Leaf offers a unique blend of southern Asian foods from Malaysian, Indian, Hunan, to Thai.

For appetizers we decided on Roti Prata which is served as a multi-layered home made Indian bread dipped in lightly spiced curry sauce and Fresh Spring Rolls. The Roti Prata is a nice light appetizer for 2-3 people, but if you have more in your party, order more appetizers especially if you come hungry. The spring rolls come with shrimp, vermicelli, bean sprouts, basil & Chef’s peanut sauce but personally I think they are a little heavy on the vermicelli. The peanut sauce tastes great and is to die for if you like it semi spicy.

Other appetizers on the menu range from Gado-Gado, Chicken, Beef or Combo Satay, Green Papaya Salad, Lobak, Yu Sang,Sambal Anchovy, Roti Prata, Telur, Murtabak, Tofu Salad, to Penang Poh Piah.

For the main entrees, we ordered Indian Mee Goreng ($8.50) and Cumin Lamb ($12.95) with lemongrass, Thai chili & cilantro. The Mee Goreng is a spicy fried Indian noodle dish with prawns, squids, chicken, tofu, eggs, grounded peanuts & bean sprouts and has some resemblance to the taste of chow mein. On the other hand, the Cumin Lamb is quite a tasty dish. The chef does a wonderful job by adding layers of flavors and spices in this dish. Make sure someone in your party orders it so you can at least try some.

For main entrees, Banana Leaf also offers Poultry dishes such as Mango, Istimewa, Kapitan, Utama Basil, Rempah, Rendang, Green or Red Curry, Tai Pou, Malay Sizzling, Penang Sizzling or chicken.

Beef & Lamb dishes vary from Rendang, Green or Red Curry, Utama Basil, Malay Sizzling, Curry beef to Cumin Lamb.

The Seafood dishes range from Mango, Penang Sizzling, Asam, Siam, Singaporean Chili, and Utama Basil Prawns to Indian Red Curry Fish Heads to Salmon to Pomfrets and Crab.

They also have a decent vegetarian menu which includes a variety of noodle and rice dishes which you will also enjoy. View there vegetarian menu.

All the food at Banana Leaf is reasonably priced varying from $6.95 to $28.95. Because this restaurant is located in a shopping mall, it’s not the most elegant setting, but the food is worth tasting.

Expect a small wait if you don’t have reservations and especially if you’re dining on a Friday or Saturday evening. Parking is available via shared lot but usually packed. Stop into Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant next time your in the neighborhood of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Cupertino, San Jose, or Fremont.

Banana Leaf Restaurant (map)

182 Ranch Dr
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 719-9811
www.bananaleaf-usa.com

Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu 5:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sat 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

More reviews at Yelp.com

With that said, their recent name and menu changes from Osetra Fish House to Osetra Watergrill sounds a little more worthwhile to check out.

Aside from their creative touch in decoration, what’s most interesting and entertaining is the central wine tower from which ‘wine angels’ pull wine orders from an extensive selection of exquisite wines. A remote control pulley and cables lift these angels to 20′ to 25′ high shelves of wine. One can only wonder what type of title this job calls for. It is entertaining though.

Osetra has recently added the new E-5 Lounge, with a nicely-priced tapas menu with a casual atmosphere that local residents as well as visitors can enjoy.

We haven’t been there since the new Tapas menu additions have been added so we are looking forward to going soon. The new menu lists such items as Kobe Beef Sliders, Tempura Lobster Tacos or the Chicken Fricassee and I can only imagine how tasty they are.

For my order, I had the lobster, steak and shrimp combo dish. Although a bit pricey for this meal, it was well worth it. Yes, it was my birthday and there’s nothing more rewarding than eating all your favorite foods on one plate. Why spread it over a course of few days or weeks, or months when you can have it all in one sitting?

Try Osetra Watergrill out if even if you already have an existing seafood house favorite. And yes, you will be entertained. I know we’ll be back there soon.

Happy Hour
5pm – 7pm Sunday – Thursday

Parking
Park at Horton Plaza and validate before 9:00 or use their independently owned valet parking which isn’t validated by Osetra. Prices may vary according to days of the week. The valet is available 7 days a week, starting at 6pm.

Osetra Watergrill Tel: (619) 239-1800
904 5th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

(directions)