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