Banana Leaf

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

A newcomer this year, the Banana Leaf is a family-run enterprise with two Wong brothers and their father offering Chinese Malaysian cuisine and a warm welcome to an appreciative and already loyal clientele – Chinese customers especially favouring the soft-shelled crab and the stir-fried pork belly. The banana leaf theme runs from the plastic curtains separating the kitchen, through the menu, to the plates themselves. Keropok lekur – salmon ‘crackers’, slivers of salmon mixed with flour, deep-fried and served with a fiery chilli sauce – makes for an unusual starter, while dry-rubbed spare ribs are salty and tender. A deep-flavoured moist and meaty curry beef brisket is rich and rounded with a simmering chilli heat, while the stir-fried prawns take on flavours of butter and milk and are given a lift with coriander, chilli lemon grass and curry leaves. To round off the meal, bubur cha cha – cold tapioca pudding with coconut is unusually textured and refreshing yet substantial. Authentic dishes and reasonable prices mean the restaurant is often very busy with local students so booking is advised.

• High point: Beautiful beef curry
• Low point: Overwhelming menu