Banana Leaf, Cary NC
Banana Leaf’s carousel of food
4 out of 5 stars
One thing that really makes a meal more fun is the expectation of everyone sharing. And Banana Leaf encourages sharing with the typical family-style ordering and the large lazy susan in the table, creating a veritable carousel of food. After reading a glowing review from Greg Cox, and hearing raves from a coworker about the duck, we arranged for a group to have a meal here. We enjoyed trying out a the buddha beer, which has a pretty cool bottle.
Everyone ordered something different. Of course we tried the Peking Duck, but also the spicy thai duck, curry chicken, virgin chicken, General Tso chicken, an a spicy shrimp dish. I only regret not trying one of the spicy lobster dishes, which are rumored to be a specialty. The duck was wonderful. It came with the crispy skin-on and another dish on the side which was a shredded duck stir fry and the steamed buns. The shredded duck stir-fry was probably my favorite dish of all. It’s in the background behind the basil duck, below.
The curry chicken was ok but fairly bland and not spicy. For dessert they offered us some complimentary tapioca soup. It was a slightly sweet watery milky cold soup with cubes of mango and papaya. I thought it was refreshing, but others in my party couldn’t get into it. Either way it was a fun jaunt, I felt!
My other visit to Banana Leaf was at lunch. We tried a calamari dish, which had large chewy spirals of squid. I had a flounder which tender, lightly battered and braised (it seemed). The lunch meals come with a tiny leaf of salad with a strange dressing, and then a side of fried rice. They are only $6.35!
If you come for a visit, stray from your typical American Chinese food choices and try some of their specialties. And bring a crowd so you can all experiment!
Other blogger’s reviews:
1026 Ryan Rd
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 468-9958
