Banana Leaf
| Address: | 1026 Ryan Rd, Cary, NC 27511, USA |
| Phone: | +1 919-468-9958 |
| Site: | bananaleafcary.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–10PM 12–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
EN
Endaeias Morgan
What can be said about Banana Leaf? As many others have said, its Traditional Cantonese food with enough "American-Chinese" food to satisfy the most critical of eater. The atmosphere is rather traditional too; as its airy and they allow a lot of sunlight to beam in through the windows (which is a good thing). Youll find that group tables have plate placement specifically for groups (another common trend in "geniune" Chinese locations; as most families and groups tend to share dishes rather than eating all of "their order" on their own). The food is exceptional; in all ways possible. If youre the type to like any type of Chinese, I would highly recommend "Banana Leaf". Environment Five Stars (*****) When you walk into "Banana Leaf", youre able to see the spacious and airy environment thats waiting for you. Theres been one review on Google Maps that indicates that it was unclean (or rather, had roaches); I cannot find any reason why this would still be the issue considering the environment that Ive seen. The floors were clean, the tables were quickly tended to, and the overall environment (bathroom and all) was rather tidy/cleaned up. Perhaps they took the reviewers suggestion to heart and got rid of any of the uncleanliness. I loved that they had spacious tables for groups; despite only having two in my party when I went. Its something I always cherish to see because of how accomodating said "setups" are for those with a large party. Food Five Stars (*****) "Banana Leaf" is one of the best Chinese places Ive been to in America. Its difficult to find what I consider "decent" or even "great" Chinese food in America due to the whole "American-Chinese" dishes that are frequently served in each and every one of them. Alas, even though "Banana Leaf" falls into this demographic, they also ensure to have some "genuine/authentic" Cantonese dishes that youll love (even if youre used to the "American-Chinese" entrées). The appetizers and side orders are remarkable. Personally, I enjoyed the "plain steamed buns" (on the menu, theyre listed as duck buns - they do not have duck meat in them, nor should they). We got chicken lo mein and general tsos chicken (yes, primarily "American-Chinese" dishes) - but the best Ive had in quite a long while (comparable to the Mayflower restaurant in Londons very own Chinatown). Customer Service Five Stars (*****) The waiter really was on top of everything. Drinks? He was ready to refill them at a moments notice (without prompting). Even after we were finished, he went out of his way to ensure that we had some steamed rice to go and that he boxed up our leftovers to take with us. I cant say there was anything left for anyone to do for us, in terms of customer service. I felt very welcomed by the staff and everyone seemed quite comfortable as well (customers and staff alike). Overall Five Stars (*****) "Banana Leaf" has some of the best Chinese food Ive had the pleasure of eating. The staff are amazingly friendly, the environment is comforting, and the food is absolutely delicious. I cant help but give this place a five star review; mostly because all of the factors were just "there" for me. Be warned, they only give you a fork/spoon when you get your entrées (for those who are not chopstick-friendly). However, it wouldnt surprise me if you were told you couldnt have any silverware outside of the ones given with the entrée (Im fine with chopsticks, so it wasnt a question I had to ask). If youre in Cary and in the mood for Chinese, give "Banana Leaf" a chance. :)
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Viperflt
This is a very nice authentic Cantonese restaurant. Most of the patrons are Chinese. They do serve authentic Chinese dishes in a nice environment. However, authentic does not mean excellent. Given this is the Raleigh/Cary area, I cant expect too much, compared to NYC or Toronto or Hong Kong, for that matter. So, its OK for Raleigh area but not so good compared to other cities. We had five dishes for 6 people and that was plenty. The bean curd seafood casserole was bland and not much taste. I was expected "fried" tofu but got the regular white tofu. The fish was pretty good. The mushroom dish was too salty for my taste. The boiled chicken had very little taste and you had to add the oil ginger sauce and even then, there really isnt a lot of taste. Beef with scallions was ok but a little salty. They did serve a nice soup at the start (complimentary) but that seems to have too much MSG. The desert soup was pretty good. Service was OK. 4 out of the five dishes came out first, but the boiled chicken didnt come out until we reminded them and it came after we were mostly finished with the other dishes. They were friendly and were there when we asked for them. This is a relatively large restaurant with quite a few round tables to accommodate larger groups. They do have a very extensive authentic and mostly Cantonese selection and that is a huge plus. They are the only one in the area that specializes in Cantonese food. The other one is probably Hong Kong restaurant in Durham but that is far smaller and not particularly good. Its nice to have a Cantonese focused restaurant in the area, but I wish the dishes were better tasting.
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Rebecca Wei
I came on a Saturday night with a group of about 20. The place was pretty empty for any night, but especially for a Saturday night. The food was off-menu/special order so I wont give recommendations since I honestly couldnt tell you the names of the dishes. Half of the food was made really well. The cold meats appetizer was good, the Peking duck was too (and the buns were on point). The other half... The soup had this old-oil taste that is reminiscent of when a bag of chips is in my pantry for too long. This fried fish was over-fried, and the broccoli was undercooked (and cut too large). The sago in the dessert was undercooked and bland. The waiter was only in charge of my party (two tables), but he always seemed frazzled and super busy. We put unused glasses on a counter next to us to free up space, and he scolded us, but didnt come to take the rest of the glasses until we explicitly asked. He left half the soup bowls on the table for the entire meal, yet it was the second course (out of eight). All in all, Ill give them three stars and the benefit of the doubt because some of their dishes were pretty good, and the bad ones are, I assume, ones that they make less often. The service was mediocre at best, but I might be nit-picking because of my own experience in the restaurant business.
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Steve Wood
We havent eaten here in about a year, and it was good to see the food and service are still great. We started with complimentary Duck soup: a small bowl of brothy, savory goodness. Then an appetizer of the KOREAN SPICY WINGS. These are fried and covered with a thick, spicy, mildly-sweet sauce served with a side of pickled vegetables. For the main course, we had the SINGAPORE MEI FUN with shrimp and chicken, BASIL DUCK with mixed vegetables, and the HOT AND SPICY DICED CHICKEN with horn peppers. All were excellent. We finished with a complimentary desert of diced Papaya in coconut milk with tapioca. Cant wait to go back again... How I have missed this place.
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Robert Wright
We heard so many good things about this one that we decided to switch up from our usual place and give them a try. Not sure if experience was typical, because we, without thinking much about it, were there on the weekend of Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, service at lunchtime, despite not being overly crowded, was a bit lackluster. Food was good, but not exceptional, and pricier than the level of quality and execution would dictate. It was not bad by any means. But when there are several good Chinese places around Cary, little things can count for a lot and friendly hospitality can make a huge difference in where we make are go-to Chinese restaurant.
