Banana Leaf Calgary 32nd Ave NE

[v2kai]

Apparently they have no affiliation with Banana Leaf from Vancouver. Hainanese chicken rice was legit, not that stuff that teapot/pebble street serves. Chicken satay was good, laksa was good too. Nothing bad to say about them. Ordered pickup Saturday night, prompt friendly service. Apparently just opened about two weeks ago.

Right next door to the car wash across from Memory Express in that little plaza.

Definitely check them out. Just a heads up for other beyonders.:clap: :drool: Will definitely be going back.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1778422/restaurant/Northeast/Banana-Leaf-Tropical-Cuisine-Calgary

[lilmira]

Sounds promising, will check it out.

[BigDL]

how big is the restaurant? Would it be a smart idea to call head for reservations?

[flipstah]

Is that across the old MemX near that car wash(now Satellite Depot), or across the new MemX, where there's also a car wash, KFC, and a Jiffy Lube?

[v2kai]

it's really small. was half full when I went by. around 5-8 tables of 4 or so max. reservation probably wouldnt hurt but right now so new not that busy ... yet.

flipstah - carwash and kfc plaza you got it. way back in the day impressions auto and icon tint also used to be there.

[Amysicle]

Aww man, I just bought chicken and ginger tonight to make it at home.

Thanks for the heads up. Much easier than making it myself!

[Sorath]

OMG,

going to try tonight

[Team_Mclaren]

Kasem are you coming?

[Sorath]

Here right now bb :poosie:

[The_Rural_Juror]

I was there tonight as well.
oh hai guyz...

[eglove]

Was here tonight too. Pretty damn good albeit the waiter seemed to be a little all over the place but it was a full house.

[n1zm0]

I think I'll have to bring my parents here, see what real M'sians think of this place :)

[Sorath]

Im a real malaysian, this place is pretty close to authentic! It's too bad the service sucks so hard

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by Sorath
Im a real malaysian, this place is pretty close to authentic! It's too bad the service sucks so hard

The owners must be westerners then judging by the menu (Nasi lemak is a dead give away usually), will try it for sure, assam prawn brings back some memories of grandma's cooking.

[v2kai]

hope they can cope with the floodgates as all the beyonders craving chicken rice keep them busy. lol

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Sorath
Im a real malaysian, this place is pretty close to authentic! It's too bad the service sucks so hard

Saw the pix! :drool:

[Team_Mclaren]

Originally posted by Sorath
Im a real malaysian, this place is pretty close to authentic! It's too bad the service sucks so hard

meh hes trying. They need to hire an LG that knows what shes doing tho. I'd go there with you every week. :rofl: :rofl:

[DENZILDON]

Oh shit this is close to work! :drool:

[Kg810]

Was there last night as well... Food was good, no complaints on anything we ordered and we ordered a decent amount.

The restaurant is small and appears to only have one server atm. Service was still friendly but just super busy and sometimes forgetful.

I'd go back as long as they hire more people.

[jav_]

this place used to be Saigonluscious, had the curry beef which i thought was alright. ill try the hainanese chicken or nasi lemak next time

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by Sorath
Im a real malaysian, this place is pretty close to authentic! It's too bad the service sucks so hard

thoughts on tropical delight noodle house off of mcknight for malay/ laksa? I loved the place, but I've only had malay food here, not sure if it's legit.

[nj2Type-S]

^i love tropical delight! good food and awesome service.

i'm not malaysian, but i have been to singapre (close enough to malaysia? lol).

i will check out this new place, for sure! :thumbsup:

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by n1zm0


The owners must be westerners then judging by the menu (Nasi lemak is a dead give away usually), will try it for sure, assam prawn brings back some memories of grandma's cooking.

i'm curious as to why having nasi lemak on the menu would imply that the owners are possibly westerners.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by nj2Type-S


i'm curious as to why having nasi lemak on the menu would imply that the owners are possibly westerners.

nasi lemak is primarily a Peninsular Malaysian (West Malaysian) dish, it was invented there, whereas only a handful of places in East Malaysia sell it. The 2 sides of the country have alot of differences when it comes to native dishes.

I guess to clarify I didn't mean caucasian westerners if that's what you're referring to, but western Malaysians.

[Sorath]

Originally posted by l/l/rX


thoughts on tropical delight noodle house off of mcknight for malay/ laksa? I loved the place, but I've only had malay food here, not sure if it's legit.

I think the laksa kicks tropical delight's ass. i havent tried the roti chanai yet, but the one at tropical delight is sooo good.

make sure you guys order the sambal fried egg!

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by n1zm0


nasi lemak is primarily a Peninsular Malaysian (West Malaysian) dish, it was invented there, whereas only a handful of places in East Malaysia sell it. The 2 sides of the country have alot of differences when it comes to native dishes.

I guess to clarify I didn't mean caucasian westerners if that's what you're referring to, but western Malaysians.

yeah, sorry. i thought you meant white folks lol.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Went there a couple of times this past week. Somewhat disappointed.
Everything seemed watered down. This is compared to my experiences in SE Asia.

Service: Well below average.

Laksa: Not as creamy and flavourful as SE Asia. Too much noodles, not enough protein.

Hainan Chicken Rice: Not bad, but this is not a very difficult dish to make. Would buy it there just to save myself the trouble of making it. The rice flavour is milder than I expected.

Roti Chanai: Only dish that I liked. Another simple dish to make once you get the dough down. Very skimpy on the sauce.

Nasi Lemak: Let down. Served with plain rice instead of coconut rice. Not as flavourful for sure.

Bah Ku Teh: Broth is ok, nothing special. Too much noodles and not enough protein again. Broth is a bit weak.

[nj2Type-S]

per this thread's reviews about service, my wife and i ordered for take-out. we ordered the hainese chicken rice, nasi lemak with chicken curry and roti.

we really liked it, but i think we prefer tropical delight over banana leaf in terms of flavour. the serving size is a bit larger than of tropical delight's, though.

overall, i wouldn't mind checking this place out again because their hours operation is more accomodating for me.

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror


Nasi Lemak: Let down. Served with plain rice instead of coconut rice. Not as flavourful for sure.



That is retarded considering Nasi Lemak translates to Coconut Rice.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Originally posted by BananaFob


That is retarded considering Nasi Lemak translates to Coconut Rice.

Could've been a one time screwup I guess.

[Sorath]

I had the nasi lemak on Thursday and it did have coconut rice

[n1zm0]

went there with my parents, alamak, no coconut rice, they 'ran out' they said, so my dad's 'Nasi lemak' not exactly as it should fully be, my mom's hainanese chicken rice also 'ran out' of the chicken rice, not so good unfortunately, it's very Taiwanese/hokkien oriented more than authentic Malaysian I found even though after my father spoke to the owner and discovered he was from KL and just been in calgary for 2 years so far after living in vancouver , I found it to be more so oriented to that hybrid fusion between the 2 countries. I mean I've had chicken rice in S'pore and East and West Msia and HK restaurants here alike but never have I had towgai and napa cabbage stir fried as a side rather than cucumber for the dish.

For appetizers I ordered satay chicken and roti canai, roti is package type no problems with that as it's difficult to do it authentic mamak style, curry dip for it was the Nasi lemak curry, not bad, satay sauce I'm not sure if it's a west malaysian thing but a bit too sweet imo. Curry mee (seafood laksa) top notch, maybe a bit too much on the coconut milk but definitely a KL laksa style to heart, no problems with that. The bak ku teh I'd like to experience as I have a clear definition of what it's supposed to be since I've been a kid.

As said the service is lacking, I'm not sure if the owner doesn't want to hire new folk or might not see the demand for service but I also experienced definite lapse in service. Sambal for the Nasi lemak and ikan bilis/peanut was A+, especially the Sambal, a hot plate of rice and that stuff I would be in heaven.

For me the lack of coconut rice and chicken rice was hugely detrimental to the visit, I mean chicken rice and Nasi lemak is named as such for the rice, when you serve regular rice with the meal it's just not the same at all, I would visit to try the rest of the laksa menu at the very least as well as the bak ku teh. Recommend it for those who have never tried M'sian food for sure but for myself as a 2nd gen immigrant Malaysian, my mom's recipe's will always surpass most of the items offered here. Just my opinion.

[Sorath]

Originally posted by n1zm0
went there with my parents, alamak, no coconut rice, they 'ran out' they said, so my dad's 'Nasi lemak' not exactly as it should fully be, my mom's hainanese chicken rice also 'ran out' of the chicken rice, not so good unfortunately, it's very Taiwanese/hokkien oriented more than authentic Malaysian I found even though after my father spoke to the owner and discovered he was from KL and just been in calgary for 2 years so far after living in vancouver , I found it to be more so oriented to that hybrid fusion between the 2 countries. I mean I've had chicken rice in S'pore and East and West Msia and HK restaurants here alike but never have I had towgai and napa cabbage stir fried as a side rather than cucumber for the dish.

For appetizers I ordered satay chicken and roti canai, roti is package type no problems with that as it's difficult to do it authentic mamak style, curry dip for it was the Nasi lemak curry, not bad, satay sauce I'm not sure if it's a west malaysian thing but a bit too sweet imo. Curry mee (seafood laksa) top notch, maybe a bit too much on the coconut milk but definitely a KL laksa style to heart, no problems with that. The bak ku teh I'd like to experience as I have a clear definition of what it's supposed to be since I've been a kid.

As said the service is lacking, I'm not sure if the owner doesn't want to hire new folk or might not see the demand for service but I also experienced definite lapse in service. Sambal for the Nasi lemak and ikan bilis/peanut was A+, especially the Sambal, a hot plate of rice and that stuff I would be in heaven.

For me the lack of coconut rice and chicken rice was hugely detrimental to the visit, I mean chicken rice and Nasi lemak is named as such for the rice, when you serve regular rice with the meal it's just not the same at all, I would visit to try the rest of the laksa menu at the very least as well as the bak ku teh. Recommend it for those who have never tried M'sian food for sure but for myself as a 2nd gen immigrant Malaysian, my mom's recipe's will always surpass most of the items offered here. Just my opinion.

I ate from there again last night and had the hainanese chicken rice, it came with the chicken rice but i didnt enjoy it as much as the other dishes i tried. i also thought it was weird it was served with tau gay.

Had the nasi lemak the last time i was there and it was A++ the sambal and peanuts were awesome with the cocounut rice. definately hit the spot.

The first time i had it, i had the laksa noodles it was delicious, like i said i thought it was better than tropical delight.

Next off the list i will try to roti canai.

That being said i have been there 3 times this week since tuesday, guess it doesn't help that i work right across the street.

Oh and i highly recommend the sambal fried eggs and Fish flakes tofu, i have ordered it everytime i have gone there.

That being said, nothing beats mom's cooking but i think its the closest to authentic we will get for calgary. As mentioned before i thought it tasted better than banana leaf on robson in vancouver :thumbsup: :hitit:

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by Sorath


I ate from there again last night and had the hainanese chicken rice, it came with the chicken rice but i didnt enjoy it as much as the other dishes i tried. i also thought it was weird it was served with tau gay.

Had the nasi lemak the last time i was there and it was A++ the sambal and peanuts were awesome with the cocounut rice. definately hit the spot.

The first time i had it, i had the laksa noodles it was delicious, like i said i thought it was better than tropical delight.

Next off the list i will try to roti canai.

That being said i have been there 3 times this week since tuesday, guess it doesn't help that i work right across the street.

Oh and i highly recommend the sambal fried eggs and Fish flakes tofu, i have ordered it everytime i have gone there.

That being said, nothing beats mom's cooking but i think its the closest to authentic we will get for calgary. As mentioned before i thought it tasted better than banana leaf on robson in vancouver :thumbsup: :hitit:

I just need some proper east malaysian style gan lao mian with tons of pork lard lol. Tropical Delight gets close but it's just not like home :(

[n1zm0]

^and a full container of pickled green chili or soy and chili padi and I could survive the rest of my life on that dish alone

[Cooked Rice]

All this talk made me go try some Laksa at Tropical Delight on my way to work today. I don't think I want to ever go for pho or ramen ever again. I'll probably try Banana Leaf tomorrow.

[Skyline_Addict]

I went there last week for dinner at 5:00 pm, and we were the first ones there so I suppose we received "good service".

the Laksa was pretty good and the chicken rice (the rice itself) was flavorful but the chicken was just ok.

would go there again if I'm ever craving a Laksa, but that's about it.

[Cooked Rice]

Went to Banana Leaf today and had their nasi lemak with the chicken curry, can't really say that it hit the spot for me. The curry and sambal were quite nice but nothing else about it really stood out. Also had the roti canai and as mentioned if you like it with a lot of sauce, they kind of skimp out on it. Service was that of a typical pho joint. There was a singaporean lady beside my table with some guests, spanish or something, and one of them didn't like their Nasi Lemak and did not finish it.

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
All this talk made me go try some Laksa at Tropical Delight on my way to work today. I don't think I want to ever go for pho or ramen ever again. I'll probably try Banana Leaf tomorrow.

Spice Cafe in DT has a decently good Laksa if you can't make it to the NE. I love laksa more than pho as well!

Although the Roti Canai at tropical delight cannot be beaten. Roti Canai at spice cafe is decent.

[n1zm0]

Idk if your guy's experience with laksa is just this curry mee type KL laksa, there are alot more kinds of it out there (not in this city obviously), almost wish my mom or uncle would go in business together to make Kuching-Sarawak laksa, which IMPO blows away curry mee.

But yeah, all sorts more, Penang/Kuching-Sarawak/KL/Ipoh/Nyonya , then there are a whole bunch of Indo types (i haven't really tried), just have to hunt for them I guess.

I usually end up making my own since I usually get a few packs of the spice/soup base a year from visiting relatives but I think you can get the stuff here too.

[Sorath]

Need somewhere that makes asam laksa, although nothing tastes better than homemade childhood food haha

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Sorath
Need somewhere that makes asam laksa, although nothing tastes better than homemade childhood food haha

Make it at home and I'll come over. LAKSA! :drool:

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by Sorath
Need somewhere that makes asam laksa, although nothing tastes better than homemade childhood food haha

Assam laksa is so gross.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by BananaFob


Assam laksa is so gross.

Tamarind-based? I'm so down.

[n1zm0]

^Yeah lots of it


Originally posted by BananaFob


Assam laksa is so gross.

I can stand a good bowl of penang laksa, not exactly my favourite, prefer sarawak laksa the most, with a side of belacan chili while sweat pours down your face, so satisfying.

[Cooked Rice]

Went back to Tropical Delight today and had beef rendang with rice and a side of sambal for take out, don't think i've ever finished a dish so fast :drool: Tropical Delight is probably my new favorite joint for lunch, close to work, quick service, and the owner(i think) is super friendly.

[nj2Type-S]

i just finished my late lunch at tropical delight. this place never disappoints. the best time to come here is around 2pm.

[95EG6P]

tried the place out last week and it is prety good and the price is cheap like 10.50 a plate of rice and maet dish combo but service is lacking on weekend but on week days as it is empty is great

[Cooked Rice]

Just a heads up Tropical Delight is closing shop on Sunday. Saturday is the last day they will be open. :cry: Went there for beef rendang and white curry chicken today. Will probably go back for laksa and wonton kolo mee before the end of the week.

[ZEDGE]

Curry laksa is amazing at Banana leaf. Too bad about tropical delight good place too.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Just a heads up Tropical Delight is closing shop on Sunday. Saturday is the last day they will be open. :cry:

Damnit, have to try before they close, that sucks! Kolomein and laksa are priorities, i'm prepared to get bloated haha.

Going back to M'sia this summer anyways to gain 10 lbs but I'll take any local malaysian restaurants anytime :D

[flipstah]

Beyond meet lol.

[BigDL]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Just a heads up Tropical Delight is closing shop on Sunday. Saturday is the last day they will be open. :cry: Went there for beef rendang and white curry chicken today. Will probably go back for laksa and wonton kolo mee before the end of the week.

Are they going to be closed for good????? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Just a heads up Tropical Delight is closing shop on Sunday. Saturday is the last day they will be open. :cry: Went there for beef rendang and white curry chicken today. Will probably go back for laksa and wonton kolo mee before the end of the week.

WTF!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

why??? please tell me they're just moving into a bigger space. :cry:

these guys have THE best service i've ever had ANYWHERE.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by nj2Type-S


WTF!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

why??? please tell me they're just moving into a bigger space. :cry:

these guys have THE best service i've ever had ANYWHERE.


Tropical Delight is one of my favourite restaurants in Calgary. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances their last day of business will be Saturday, June 28. So everyone go get your fill of your favourite dishes - Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Kolo Mee, White Chicken Curry Roti or whatever it may be as we won't be seeing them until the New Year. They are planning on re-opening sometimes in the New Year and at a new location. Until then, I wish this wonderful family all the best and can't wait to see what they'll have I store for us in the New Year. Take Carr Tropical Delight! I'll see you soon! - Anna

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1679408/restaurant/Northeast/Tropical-Delight-Noodles-House-Calgary :clap:

[nj2Type-S]

^whew!

seriously, i got all sad when i saw this thread LOL!

banana leaf is OK, but TD is my go-to place. :thumbsup:

i'm glad they're moving into a new location (hopefully a MUCH larger space), because their restaurant is ALWAYS packed.

[cyra1ax]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Just a heads up Tropical Delight is closing shop on Sunday. Saturday is the last day they will be open. :cry: Went there for beef rendang and white curry chicken today. Will probably go back for laksa and wonton kolo mee before the end of the week.

They have kolomee?!?!?!? OMG might have to make an emergency stop there Saturday....can anyone that's been to Malaysia tell me if it's even close to the real stuff?! Totally didn't know that place was there, dad used to buy stuff at Lemmer and I used to drag him to Walt Healy....

[n1zm0]

^I will hopefully find out Saturday morning :D It's all about the pork lard :drool:

edit: on another note, there is a family in Edmonton that my relatives there know who do bulk orders of Brunei style kolo mee and it's damned amazing - comes with charsiu AND ground pork, they should open up a restaurant already!

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by cyra1ax


They have kolomee?!?!?!? OMG might have to make an emergency stop there Saturday....can anyone that's been to Malaysia tell me if it's even close to the real stuff?! Totally didn't know that place was there, dad used to buy stuff at Lemmer and I used to drag him to Walt Healy....

Somewhat close... or at least the closest you can get here in Calgary. Keep in mind there's different styles of Kolomee all across Malaysia though.

[sh0ko]

Originally posted by flipstah




http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1679408/restaurant/Northeast/Tropical-Delight-Noodles-House-Calgary :clap:



Hey all

Tropical isn't closing cuz of unforseen circumstances....the chef recently had multiple heart attacks and has been ordered by doctors not to continue with work....Ming (the owner) put his employee first and is closing down shop for good. there's talks about a new tropical opening maybe within a year (in the nw) but nothing is certain...

[flipstah]

Oh damn. :(

[Cooked Rice]

Did a pickup from Tropical today for Kolo Mee, when I got there a sign posted said the dining room was closed due to medical emergency and they were doing take out only. Going back tomorrow one last time for Laksa.

[jdmakkord]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Did a pickup from Tropical today for Kolo Mee, when I got there a sign posted said the dining room was closed due to medical emergency and they were doing take out only. Going back tomorrow one last time for Laksa.

Yeah I was there today too. Apparently the cook had a heart attack, his 3rd one now. I plan on calling in tomorrow morning before driving there.

[jdmakkord]

Tropical delight is open today and very busy. Got here at 11:10 and it is packed.

[Rocket1k78]

I went to Banana leaf last week and was really impressed with the first couple of dishes. The thing that really turned me off was our chicken dish, my wife had said something about the chicken looking pink but i told her it was the sauce. She found a bigger piece and opened it up and sure enough it was not cooked so i asked the waitress to which she agreed. They made us a new one and again it was undercooked so we told them we didnt want it anymore. The food was really good but because its so heavily sauced its hard to tell if its thoroughly cooked.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by jdmakkord
Yeah I was there today too. Apparently the cook had a heart attack, his 3rd one now. I plan on calling in tomorrow morning before driving there.

That's sucks, I would think he wouldn't be showing up tomorrow for the last day then? Is he the only chef there?

I think I will call tomorrow morning too just in case. I mean I have packs and packs of kuching laksa paste in the freezer from last time I went back, but I feel like I need to try this stuff according to everyone.

[jdmakkord]

Today was the busiest I've ever seen them, even shortly after 11. They are open tomorrow as well if anyone would like to stop in. I suppose I'll have to settle for banana leaf from now on.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by jdmakkord
Today was the busiest I've ever seen them, even shortly after 11. They are open tomorrow as well if anyone would like to stop in. I suppose I'll have to settle for banana leaf from now on.
Yup I walked in around 1130 and there were 20+ people in line so I got take out.
The rendang was a little less lemongrass-y than regular. Nonetheless good shit.