Banana Leaf’s bar. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
I am elbows up, head down, lost in a bowl of curry, remembering why I love Banana Leaf and why it is still going strong after 20 years.
The restaurant has just opened, and in the early evening, my dinner is dappled with golden light. My table, beneath the feature wall lined with colourful yaka masks, gives me views across the breadth of the restaurant, including its softly lit bar.
Conveniently close to Canberra Theatre, many theatre patrons like to begin their evening here, trusting them to provide quick, delicious dinners. Banana Leaf infuses traditional Sri Lankan flavours into modern Australian cuisine, and Head Chef Basil balances a menu of beloved favourites with exciting new dishes. Chef Basil brings decades of experience from across the globe, and he imbues each dish with flavours from far-flung lands.
“First, you get a homey taste, then the dish takes you to Sri Lanka,” he chuckles.
Hot butter squid. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
This evening, we are trying two of the chef’s newer entrees – hot butter squid and sago-glazed mango prawns, followed by a beloved sharing platter – the village set.
Housemade chilli paste and fried onions caramelised in butter and garlic crown tender squid pieces encased in crispy turmeric-hued batter. I love the crunch factor and truly wish that Banana Leaf sold their chilli paste. It and the fried onions take the dish on an exotic flavour journey.
The sago-glazed mango prawns are slightly gelatinous and sweet with a hint of a bite. The bed of truffle-infused carrot puree balances the sweetness and tang with its smooth pungence. The truffles transform the carrot’s sweetness into swarthy musk. Glossy orbs of balsamic caviar add an acerbic pop that just works.
I am excited to dig into Banana Leaf’s most popular offering, gamme kaema (the village set). This authentic platter includes 12 elements, including your choice from three meat curries, an egg curry, several vegetarian dishes, a couple of pickles, roti, and your choice of hoppers or rice. I opt for chicken curry and hoppers, obviously!
Tempered chickpeas are crisp and light, with a nutty crunch.
I adore the devilled potato, a dry curry tossed with garlic, spices and chilli with tender potato chunks. So moreish, so perfectly seasoned.
The chicken’s earthy curry leaf flavour is unusual and I want to eat every bite myself. I soak up the sauce with spongy, gently fermented hoppers and dainty, porous pancakes made from rice flour.
The pickled eggplant is not tangy like you might expect from its name. Smooth, dark, deep and lush, it is eggplant at its best.
The egg curry sits battered eggs in a silky turmeric sauce, earthy and delicate.
The authentic platter includes 12 elements. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
This is truly the dahl of my dreams, with complex layers of flavour within its creamy folds. I love dahl and attempt to make it regularly with little success. This dahl is wonderful, and it’s even better warmed up the next day. Of course, the roti is flaky, buttery perfection.
I highly recommend the village set, folks!
I am not sure how we have room, but we finish with a new dessert: wood apple mousse. Wood apple is a unique fruit that tastes all at once sweet, tangy and almost cheesy. This dessert balances sweet and tangy. It tastes homey and familiar with back notes of the tropics.
The delicate mousse interior is encased in a berry red chocolate shell. It is sweet with a delightful tang. The flavours are warm and nostalgic, like cinnamon apple, but there is no cinnamon or apple. And the bright red casing around the mousse is a tempered crackle of snappy zingy sweetness as well.
The whole dessert is light and bright. Perfect accompaniments are the delicate coconut ice cream, crunchy cardamom crumb and Ceylon Tea cream made from reduced black tea-infused cream.
Wood apple mousse is a dessert you need to try. Photo: Kazuri Photography
There are multiple menus at Banana Leaf: menus for lunch, takeaway and dinner, and then there are set menus.
The set dinner menu has two options, one priced at $65 and the other at $80. The three-course lunch set menu sounds like a bargain at $45. All the menus cater to all dietary requirements, just let your server know.
And make sure you check out Banana Leaf’s range of Sri Lankan liquor and beers.
Banana Leaf is located at 2 Akuna St in the city centre. It is open for lunch from 12 pm to 2 pm on weekdays, priding itself on quick and fabulous work lunch options. It is open from 5 pm to 9 pm for dinner seven days a week.
Check out all the menus and follow Banana Leaf on Facebook and Instagram.
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