The Banana Garden

Had lunch at Banana Garden that took over the the defunct Tokyo… something. The large space is cavernous and loud. Prices and service for lunch was good. The food items are hit or miss. We ordered the following:
Red Curry Beef nice cuts of beef with eggplant, okra, potatoes, carrots. The Curry was flavorful.
Hainan Chicken Rice. The Chicken was very tender. The Rice was just yellow colored rice.
Shrimp Curry comes with 5 small grilled shrimp in the same red curry sauce. Not Good.
Black Sticky Rice with Mango. The rice and coconut sauce was good. The Mango was not ripe, sour, and rock hard .
Root Beer Float $ 3 was good.
Plenty of parking in the shopping center lot.

We had roti, rending beef, chili crab, and pineapple fried rice. All their dishes were really good. Highly recommended this place.

I was looking forward to trying The Banana Garden, but ultimately we weren’t wowed by the experience. Maybe we ordered the wrong things here, but what we had was very average.
First, I just have to note — due to the open kitchen in here, there’s a smell that stays in the air. I don’t quite know what it was — fish sauce? But you definitely notice it all throughout your meal here if you eat in.
Roti pratha — This was slightly above average. The sauce had some sweetness and a little bit of kick to it. Roti was the extremely crispy/​flaky type instead of the doughy type — I prefer the other kind, personally.
Rendang beef — The first thing we noticed is that the beef is very low quality. Like, stew meat at the grocery store for $ 5.99/lb quality. Next thing was that the beef wasn’t tender in the slightest. It was pretty chewy and you couldn’t cut through it with just your fork. And the third thing was that it seemed to have been sitting for a while and wasn’t made to order — fat was separating from the sauce. The flavor was just average. I didn’t think this was worth $ 15.
It seems like the vegetable dishes or seafood dishes might be the way to go here, but I don’t know if I’ll be back — too many other good options in the area.

This has been a hot property since it opened a few months ago in the Fall of 2015. Plenty of couples eat here, but big families take up several tables on a regular basis. «The Banana Garden» is bona fide Malaysian cuisine that’s generous on tender meat, thick and drippy sauces with tinges of coconut and mango. When you order any of the fish filets here, be assured it’s going to be a fat fish. But I drool from the mouth over the FUJIAN NOODLES which are stained and drenched in sauce, and peppery. I’m very happy to have a wife to have introduced me to first Indian food, then Singaporean and then Malaysian. Somehow those cuisines all belong to the same extended gastronomy tree. Crucial notes:
You’re doing this place wrong if you don’t order family style. Meaning, you order dishes to share. If you’re a couple, order three dishes and swap between dishes during the meal. If you’re date doesn’t get that concept, it’s time to dump that person and move on. #likereally

This place has a lot of talks going and hyped about for no reason.
The food quality and taste is average, tastes better unless of course you say «well this is one block away from where I live in Dublin so the looks ‘good’».
If you love this place and taste then you definitely haven’t explored food in Bay Area or are not really looking for good food.
Service is slow, gave them two shots, SLOW!
Ambience is pathetic, too much going on and looks like they wanted to place and house as many people as you can in one seating and get yourself profit over this property. Totally not worth the money, time and energy.
Drive miles out and get good food for the hard earned money.

Had a great dinner after a day of shopping at the outlet mall. Arrived at 7 on a sat night and there was no wait. By 7:15, we noticed a long wait starting.
Ordered the roti, sizzling pepper prawns, and yang noodles. All was excellent. Only downside was that the main dishes took forever to come out. I think someone in the kitchen forgot because people sitting after us got food long before we did. Yes, we did complain and the stand up waiter brought us 2 deserts on the house. I really appreciated the effort and their willingness to do something to make it right.
Overall, very good service and excellent food.

First time here, to celebrate my mom’s bday but most dishes were drowned in heavy sauce… like everything. I wish it was better too but I walk away feeling not full and my kids were still hungry going home. My mouth taste like MSG going home and I need to drink a lot of water. The water they served tasted funny too, maybe it’s the Dublin tap water but I didn’t like it so I had to order a soda. Our total bill was about $ 180 for 5 adults and 4 kids but we all left not feeling FULL or satisfied.
The ambience was very casual. High ceiling felt like a cafeteria. A bit too spacious to feel comfortable.
Probably won’t come back again. The food was too rich for my taste.

New place always feel good !
Most lunch style — Pricy
Ordered: satay chicken was bit sweet & satay paste was too sweet and peanuts were bit too big to mixed in!!!
Pineapple fried rice taste great but not sure there was any fresh pineapples in it!

I enjoyed the service more than anything. Although, they have a whole lot of selections entrée on their menu, everything we ordered is good but not great. We ordered a lot today and I have tried Malaysian food in the past. This place just seems to not have the authentic flavor I’ve been craving for.
Just a little pricey in my opinion. Lunch shouldn’t cost $ 55.00 for 2 people… we didn’t order anything special.

Decided came back after a good first impression on their grand opening. Got a take out and ordered the Roti Prata and Roti Muratabak.
I like their curry sauce that comes with the app. The Roti Pratha is $ 3.50 and the Roti Muratabak is $ 10.95. I expected Roti Muratabak to be an actual ‘bread’ cause the description stated as «a stuffed Indian bread with beef, onions, and eggs» for $ 10.95. Since I never had it I might give a shot.
Upon coming home I truly regret it when it came out to be. It is NOT worth the $ 11 I paid for. All in all, it is just the 2 Roti Pratha (thin paper crêpe app) with NO EGGS/​ONIONS (that I can hardly see/​tell or taste)(well maybe a one or two chopped pieces of onions and eggs that require a magnifier (!!!) to see) and some type of meat that’s looks and tastes like meat fillers (like a VERY diluted ground beef with tons of added water). Heck, had I known that I would order myself those thin crepes and I put my own fillings instead… way overpriced! –_​-​) smh
Note: Browsing throughout the take out menu, I noticed that the «Lunch» specials aren’t really that discounted and you save maybe only $ 1 or less. Unilocalers, do yourself a favor and order the actual ENTREE cause the lunch you get half if not less than the whole portion size and end up only saving a few cents! Or maybe not since the dishes are way too much and help yourself a trip to South Bay where it’s much better… after all it’s the east bay with not much selections. Ehh.
Summary: TOO OVERPRICED! Will NOT return after what I had that night… grrr

I’m bananas about Banana Garden.
I discovered Banana Garden here on Unilocal.I was attracted to it because I’ve had very little Malaysian food before, but also because the menu items sounded really good, and the pictures on Unilocal sealed the deal.
I went last night with my wife and a friend. We tried Roti Pratha, Roti Murtabak, Penang Sizzling Chicken, Hijau Basil Fried Rice, Yin Yang Noodle, and Bubor Chacha for dessert. Everything was rich and delicious.
The service was impeccable. Our waiter, Korra, was wonderful. He was very friendly, he was patient with us as we tried to understand a few menu items, and he was very attentive throughout the meal. Other members of the staff dropped by to deliver food and clear empty plates, and everyone was friendly and seemed to care genuinely about our experience.
We’ll be back!

Friggin good food, end of story. Roti paratha, Ying Yang noodle, fish head red curry, beef with basil, hainan chicken. Respectfully disagree, this place dominates Banana Leaf :)
Service was fast and quite attentive. Check it out!

Went to try it out after most of my coworkers all say it’s pretty good. I did love the food finally we have a Malaysian food style in the neighborhood. Love the sizzling beef so tender and flavorful.
Only thing they can improve on is don’t sweep the floor near the tables as clients are eating dinner. It’s disrespectful and dirty as the dust can fly around, maybe try a Swiffer Duster.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember the names of the dishes that I ordered, but I do know they were amazing and I’m sure you can’t go wrong with any of them. Each dish was cooked to perfection and the different seasonings were perfect. Be aware that if you have a bland palate, this might not be the place for you.
The staff was very nice, greeting us upon our entrance as well as checking up during the meal. They definitely had enough staff to serve the entire restaurant without feeling like you were just sitting there waiting. My girlfriend and I ordered 2 dishes along with the Roti Prata for an appetizer. We can usually eat the entire thing, but we actually had leftovers.
For one of the new restaurants in Dublin, I think this place will be around for a while.

First time here. Place is pretty big with wide open space. We order the beef, chicken with roti and soup.
Price was reasonable but don’t expect your portion size to be that much. If you’re a big dude you might want to order double. The rice was very dry, maybe they had a new worker making the rice or it wasn’t a good day for them, who knows. The beef was very flavorful and soft. Chicken was tender and skimpy like where’s the meat? Both plates wasn’t enough, for two hungry guest. I guess the rent is expensive so they had to skimp on the portions. Well overall food was great but not the best.

Banana Garden is a newcomer in the Dublin Grafton strip mall, right next to Mayflower. It specializes in Malaysian cuisine, but the menu has Thai and Singaporean items too. Its a sizable menu as well — over 20 different seafood items including many versions of shrimp and fish heads!
For appetizer, we got two orders of their signature Roti Pratha — the savory, airy crêpe-​like bread that is perfect with curry dipping sauce. It had a little oil which is necessary. 5 stars.
Belanchan Okra — This was a great dish. I’m not a fan of okra in general but this version was cooked perfectly. The okra was whole and had a crispy exterior while still retaining some texture — just slightly gummy and not gooey. The shrimp paste was perfect seasoning. 5 stars.
Rendang Beef — Beef was very soft and tender and the red curry sauce on the milder side. For some reason the flavors didn’t permeate all the way through. 3 stars.
Seafood Taro Nest — Pretty good dish with sautéed veggies and mostly shrimp and fish with a few bits of squid. Fried taro was good. 4 stars.
Momo Chacha — Its similar to tapioca dessert from Chinese restaurants but they add yams and taro. Pretty light and on the watery side –we got the hot version but you can get cold too. 4 stars.
Thai Sticky Rice with Mango — Awesome dessert! Black rice held together by coconut syrup, topped with a fresh mango, which is also topped with sliced almonds. For that final touch, they had a mini umbrella that actually folds! 5 stars.
Overall, a very good restaurant and its on our list. Plenty of parking and a big menu — I like it more than Taste of Sing Ma in Pleasanton.

I was very impressed with the quality & taste of the food! My favorite dishes are:
Roti prata (with curry dipping sauce)
Miri black pepper eggplant with string beans
Basil fried rice
Green curry vegetable
Caution: the dishes are on the spicy side but they will accommodate requests for «less spice».
All of the servers are super friendly and attentive! They will gladly provide food suggestions if you can’t decide. Also, for both times we’ve come to eat (dinner), they gave us a free dessert — fried banana with mango ice cream (party of 4), and bubur cha cha (just me and the hubs). I think it’s part of their Grand Opening promotion or just a great way to build customer rapport :)
I’m so happy they have opened a great Malaysian restaurant in Dublin! I don’t have to drive down to Banana Leaf in Milpitas anymore :)

The place was good, but not great, but hey, you’re in Dublin! I think it’s a little pricey for how much you get, but they present the food pretty well. The servers were very friendly to us, but I did see another waiter get reprimanded by his manager and that made everyone around us feel uncomfortable. Our server was a little pushy when I asked for recommendations– he insisted that I order with shrimp, which I gave into. The atmosphere is busy and loud on a Saturday night. We didn’t have to wait long to get a table, but there was a bunch of people waiting by the time we left!
We ordered the Roti Paratha, which was pretty delicious! I wish there was more sauce though– I felt like there was barely enough for how much Roti there was. For the entrees, we got Miri Chicken and the eggplants were delicious! I don’t think it was too spicy and there was a ton of flavor. We also ordered the Rendang Shrimp, which came on a sizzling plate. I loved the curry taste but I think I would have probably liked it with chicken (which I originally wanted to order). I would probably order it again but it is a little on the pricey side.
I would definitely come back to try out more of the dishes. Don’t forget to check-​in for a free dessert (of their choosing)!

As soon as I saw fellow Unilocaler Hazel’s check in to Banana Garden, I knew I wanted to try this hot new place and bookmarked it right away. Ten days later, hubby and I decided to finally check it out for dinner. We started out with the roti paratha (Malaysian thin bread) with curry dipping sauce which is a must have app at any Malaysian or Singaporean restaurant. Perfectly chewy with a slight crispness, perfect for dipping in the curry sauce that was so good you may want to keep it in case you want to add a little extra flavor to something else.
I really wanted to try the taro nest seafood which is assorted sautéed seafood and mixed vegetables like celery, snap peas, and peppers in a formed fried taro cake. Browned on the outside but soft on the inside, you will want to devour the whole dish in one sitting. Since this dish was more Chinese in flavor (e.g. not spicy), I did not even need rice to go with it but just paired it with the good sized taro cake. Dishes are meant to be shared family style but due to hubby’s shellfish allergy, I had this all to myself and dare I say, if we weren’t getting dessert, I could’ve probably finished it myself.
Since I essentially had my own entrée to myself, I allowed him to have the second dish as spicy as he would like. He chose the Kapitan Chicken with eggplant cooked with lemongrass and curry sauce with a medium heat level. I was a bit hesitant on trying it nor wanted to be too greedy so you will have to read his review for the details on that one. What I did observe is the eggplant looked a bit firmer than most so just a heads up depending on how firm you like your eggplant cooked.
Speaking of firm, the Unilocal check in offer was a complimentary dessert which is the fried banana with coconut ice cream. To me, the fried banana was a bit too firm and not warm enough for my liking but consider it was comp’d, no complaints.
I would definitely go back to try some other dishes and get the taro nest seafood again.
The service and workers are all very friendly and impressively fully staffed on a Tuesday night where it seemed like there was a server for every 2 tables. There was just a slight confusion as to who was our server as a second person asked to take our order after we already gave it to another which happened twice but again no complaints as it is better to have 2 people eager to serve you than none.
They must be doing something right with over 40 reviews after being open for less than a month.
Side note: Right now the website is «coming soon» so I took photos of as much of the menu as possible

I don’t have anything against kids (love love love my nieces and nephews to death and my work life involves teenagers), but come Halloween time, I find myself cringing at the idea of passing out candy for three hours or more. So, it has been our tradition to eat out on Halloween and be conveniently not at home! Our friends in Livermore do the same thing every Halloween, so we decided to join forces and try out Banana Garden for dinner and I’m so happy that we did! If you love Malaysian food or Asian food that matter, then you should definitely try Banana Garden!
This is not a hole in the wall! The owners have tried to give their restaurant a warm and tropical look by having banana trees painted on the wall and having lots of real banana plants in pots inside the restaurant. This place is quite big, so the tables are also spaced apart nicely and they have lots of tables. They can handle big groups easily.
We ordered 5 dishes. Here they are:
Roti Prata (2 orders) — what can I say? Love Roti dipped in curry sauce. My friend’s husband didn’t let the sauce go to waste when the Roti was all gone. He spooned it on his rice and ate all of it!
Miri Black Pepper Eggplant and Green Beans — love that the eggplant was firm but cooked, not mushy as they often are. The green beans were crisp tender. Not overly salty or peppery. The hubby’s not a big fan of eggplant but he liked this dish nonetheless. This dish can use a boost of flavor though.
Yin Yang Noodles — has two types of noodles. You have the wide rice noodles on top with the seafood, veggies and gravy, and underneath all that, crispy egg noodles. Like the contrast of soft and crispy in one dish. It’s a big dish, so perfect for our group of 4.
Sizzling Lamb — came sizzling on a small platter. Lamb was tender. I though it was just okay but the hubby really liked this dish. Not too many pieces of lamb, so I thought it was a little pricey.
Taro’s Nest — the taro was golden brown on the outside and soft in the inside (just like the dim sum dish), and shaped like a nest or a bowl. Piled on top of it are veggies and seafood. We all liked this dish a lot.
We also ordered a couple of bowls of coconut rice. It wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was coconutty. We were so stuffed that we had a lot of leftovers when we were done eating. We didn’t even think about dessert in our condition, but the manager sent over a complimentary plate of fried bananas with ice cream. It was a manageable serving so the four of us were able to handle it. That was so nice of him! We also received a 9% discount off our bill. Not sure what that was for, but we didn’t ask!
The hubby and I will definitely be back! The food is inexpensive and good! The service was great and I really liked how clean the restaurant was. Not your typical Asian place!