Banana Leaf’s website explains more about Malaysian Cuisine:
Malaysian fare isn’t about a singular distinctive taste, but about diversity, with a blend of culinary inspiration from India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Eurasia, and Malaysia’s indigenous population. It combines the best of South East Asia, from India’s roti canai, Singapore’s laksa, to China’s Hainanese chicken rice, creating a menu that is a delight to try.
Visitors have many good things to say about Banana Leaf. Rasputin45 writes on the restaurant review site Dinehere.ca:
Banana Leaf is good for almost any occasion. It’s probably our most reliable favorite, a great place to take out of town guests and go for a regular night out with your family as well. At roughly 12 – 20 dollars an entree, it’s a fantastic value as well, especially in the Kits zone of overpriced fare. Our favorites? roti canai, the rendang beef, the lamb dish, sambal green beans, Tofu in Assam sauce, and sayur Lemak.
Pictured below are some dishes I enjoyed when I visited their Kitsilano location earlier this year. A great appetizer or side dish is the Roti Canai, an Indian-influenced puffy bread served with a wonderful rich curry sauce. Also shown is a Malaysian vegetable curry dish (Sayur Lemak) as well as the Nasi Goreng: fried rice with beef, shrimp, egg, tomato, onion and green beans.
I’m looking forward to visiting Banana Leaf again sometime soon.
Roti Canai bread from Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada.
Sayur Lemak Malaysian Vegetable Curry from Banana Leaf restaurant in Kits Vancouver BC Canada.
Nasi Goreng from Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada - Malaysian fried rice with beef, shrimp, egg, tomato, onion and green beans.
Restaurant interior at Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Madangcoul Korean Restaurant (map, 847 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC, 604-688-3585) is a family run Korean restaurant in the West End of downtown Vancouver that serves comforting, home style food.
Visitors on yelp.ca write glowing reviews about Ma Dang Coul’s “truly homestyle cooking”, the “best kimchee in all of Vancouver”, and describe the restaurant and food as “inexpensive, tasty, warm and welcoming”. My friend who lives two blocks away goes there regularly, and I was really happy when he introduced me to Madangcoul.
I ordered a combination meal of a Korean tofu soup (pictured below) and Bulgogi pork (also pictured below). It was served with all the usual side dishes – my favorite being the caramelised sweet potato (pictured below), the seaweed, and the kim-chee. The combo came to around $15 which was quite reasonable for the amount of food. I’ll definitely go back to enjoy a comforting meal at Ma Dang Coul when I’m in the area!
Korean tofu soup from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Bulgogi Pork from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant on Denman Street in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Korean condiments (caramelized sweet potatoes) and chopsticks from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant.
16,092 views - Posted Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro (web site, map, 735 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-9399) is yet another excellent Japanese Izakaya (tapas) restaurant in Vancouver; this one is run by the same family who previously operated the superb (but now closed) Shiru Bay Chopstick Cafe in Yaletown.
At Toratatsu the Uno family has created a space that looks like a cozy New York bistro, but with a definite Japanese vibe that they say “would fit downtown Tokyo perfectly.” Chef Kodai Uno, 26, trained at the Pacific Institute of Culinary arts and at French restaurant L’Emotion, and is the youngest in a family of professional chefs. He brings a great deal of creativity and skill to his kitchen, crafting modern Japanese tapas with a fusion twist.
I was getting a little tired of Gyoza King and Hapa (which I both still like) so had to try this place. The decor is cool and comfy. The service friendly (always smiling) and the food was great! familiar dishes like Agedashi Tofu but with a twist (yama imo potato on top with tasty sauce). We also had the daikon salad (those are little fish sprinkled on top) which was so good, had to order a second.
My friends and I were quite hungry so we sampled a lot of delicious dishes (some pictured below).
For an order of chef’s special sashimi ($15.80) we chose the saba (mackerel), scallops, and salmon. The mackerel and scallops were seared with a blow torch right at our table, which made for quite the fiery entertainment!
The crab avocado salad ($8.80) was delicate and light, combining two of my favorite ingredients in a most favorable way.
The Ebi Chili Mayo ($8.00, deep fried prawn with Japanese mayonnaise and hot chili sauces) was gigantic and disappeared in a flash.
The Cheese Tofu ($6.80) looked like a fancy dessert cheese with strawberries, slivered almonds, and a sweet glaze, but tasted like a combination of custard, tofu, and a soft brie cheese. We also tried the Ishiyaki Risotto ($8.30) which was a nice sticky rice mixed with some succulent seafood.
My friends also ordered the Smoke Kissed Duck ($8.80), the Tarako Kimchi Udon ($7.80), and the Sashimi salad ($8.80), which looked amazing but I didn’t get a chance to try them. Hopefully next time!
Sashimi Salad from Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in downtown Vancouver ($8.80)
Crab Avocado salad ($8.80) from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas restaurant in the West End of Vancouver (Denman).
Chef's special Sashimi ($15.80) from Toratatsu in Vancouver (being seared with a blow torch!)
Another shot of the Chef's special sashimi from Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in Vancouver.
Smoke kissed duck ($8.80) from Toratatsu on Denman Street in Vancouver.
Ebi Chili Mayo (deep fried prawn, $8.00) - wonderful!! from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro in Vancouver
Ishiyaki Seafood Risotto ($8.30) from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas in Vancouver.
Cheese Tofu ($6.80, a nice sweet dessert or appetizer) - with strawberries and slivered almonds. From Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
