Banana Tree: Surprisingly Authentic For A Chain

Banana Tree, Soho ★★★★☆

Eleana Overett
By Eleana Overett Last edited 61 months ago

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Banana Tree: Surprisingly Authentic For A Chain Banana Tree, Soho 4

We'd heard mixed reviews of Indo-Chinese restaurant chain Banana Tree, so we were curious to see what kind of experience we would have. The Soho restaurant was jampacked with the hungry after-work crowd, but the staff handled it well.

The new starter special of crunchy panko coated calamari served with a sweet and salty tamarind sauce is absolutely delicious, albeit toeing the line of being overdone. The regular menu starters of soft dumpling with a strong lemongrass sauce and satay skewers beautifully charcoaled with an authentic tasting satay sauce pretty much filled us up before our mains were served. We combo'd up a beef rendang curry, which had just the right amount of heat that built slowly as we ate, and tamarind crispy fish which paired perfectly with the lemongrass cooler mocktail — even if one of the three fish fillets was basically just batter. The house salad and sweet corn cakes were neither here nor there, but we were pleasantly surprised by our overall experience and how many of our choices tasted like we were back on holiday in Thailand.

Banana Tree, 103 Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 0UG

Last Updated 19 February 2019