Standing on a wave
Pro Flavours and portions sell Filipino food well.
Con We have to hope it was a bad day at the bar for the servers.
Pro Flavours and portions sell Filipino food well.
Con We have to hope it was a bad day at the bar for the servers.
Per Person €€€ Food ★★★☆ Service ★★ VFM ★★★★
Practicalities
Website https://www.facebook.com/thebananaleafmadrid/
Access Step free to eating area.
Website https://www.facebook.com/thebananaleafmadrid/
Access Step free to eating area.
🛈Dietary You'll need to ask.
In Pictures
On Google Images
In Pictures
On Google Images
Q and A
Hopes? Our first-ever Filipino food. We want to like it!
Reality? Different, well-prepared interesting dishes. A success - in that respect.
First Impressions? Nice space. Simply redecorated from a classic bar, with plenty of plants and hints of the country in question. Music was way too clubby. Reggaeton and dinner don't go together.
USP? Perhaps a surprise that there really aren't that many filipino restaurants in Madrid.
The offer in three words? Chances for discovery.
Service? All over the place. Amiable and friendly, but just not there on serving, clearing or managing tables. We gave up before dessert as it was getting stressful. Hopefully a one-off bad day.
Reality? Different, well-prepared interesting dishes. A success - in that respect.
First Impressions? Nice space. Simply redecorated from a classic bar, with plenty of plants and hints of the country in question. Music was way too clubby. Reggaeton and dinner don't go together.
USP? Perhaps a surprise that there really aren't that many filipino restaurants in Madrid.
The offer in three words? Chances for discovery.
Service? All over the place. Amiable and friendly, but just not there on serving, clearing or managing tables. We gave up before dessert as it was getting stressful. Hopefully a one-off bad day.
Eat me! Kare Kare was a bit of a triumph. Belly pork satay, essentially. I could have handled a bit more spice in the peanut sauce, but if the filipinos prefer it sweet ,that's how it is. A very good value dish with rice for two included. Laing is essentially a spicy shredded cabbage dish with creamy spicy warmth. It's incredibly moreish, although we'll allow it may be an acquired taste. Monggo is based around mung beans, i.e. bean sprouts pre-sprouting. Sadly, this one was beyond us. The beans take on a porridgey consistency, with a meaty broth, pieces of pork and wilted veg. It was just too filling. Flipside to the Laing, it's a taste we're not going to acquire, which doesn't mean you won't. Langoustines were the joker in the pack. Simply very, very well griddled high-quality seafood. No questioning the quality, but if we'd asked and known the score, we'd have ordered something that wasn't identical to what we0d get at the Galacian restaurant round the corner. But that's on us and we can't fault the quality or cooking.
Friend friendly? That splendid cabbage dish, for one. It's a long menu, so you'll find options.
Rating for dating? Real potential for a "Let's try somewhere new for both of us!" night.
Tip? No.
Change one thing? Foodwise, yep. A bit more spice, or a sauce or two to add.
Revisitability? Yep. fairly high. We tried new things that were well-cooked. So we want to go back. But the service. It genuinely was discouraging. We'll see.
Rating for dating? Real potential for a "Let's try somewhere new for both of us!" night.
Tip? No.
Change one thing? Foodwise, yep. A bit more spice, or a sauce or two to add.
Revisitability? Yep. fairly high. We tried new things that were well-cooked. So we want to go back. But the service. It genuinely was discouraging. We'll see.