Banana Leaves Asian Cafe

O ordered the vegetarian style Tso’s chicken. It tastes great and comes with white rice. The portion is very well served. I will surely come again.

I ordered the pork shumai at Banana Leaves Asian Cafe and was honestly very disappointed. The taste was exactly the same to the pork shumai sold at Trader Joe’s , even the sauce tasted the same. The issue is the pricing. Here, it’s $8 for 4 pieces, while at Trader Joe’s you can get 18 pieces for around $4. It genuinely felt like frozen, pre-made shumai being reheated and served at restaurant prices. If this were freshly made in-house, the price might be understandable, but selling what tastes like grocery-store frozen food at such a markup is not acceptable.

The combo lunch platter was a filling if prosaic meal. My two choices were the Thai tamarind shrimp and the spicy basil beef. The food came out relatively quickly as the place was not busy. The shrimp were slightly overcooked but veggies were still sturdy. The spicy beef was not very spicy but was cooked properly.

Got a massive portion of beef and broccoli with fried rice and a drink for their lunch special for like $12 It was delicious and after eating my fill I still have enough for dinner tomorrow, definitely worth it, especially if you're visiting The Congressional Plaza and want to eat somewhere quiet and safe from the crowds.

I highly recommend the vegetarian seitan curries. Large portions with delicious imitation meat, and I am not even a vegetarian. Their chicken satay skewers are also delicious. Quiet and out of the way location with updated interior. Fast and friendly service!