Banana Leaf - South Croydon

Last week I was invited to a curry house or dinner with a bunch of friends... at The Banana Leaf curry house.

Photo from the restaurant's website

 I have never been to a curry house before and frankly I can’t really stand the smell of curry. Curry is a very British thing and it is funny the reaction you get when you tell people that you do not like it.

When you go in a curry house it seems, EVERY thing has THE CURRY spice in it by default and if you do not like it, you will be reduced to have the naan bread on its own…

View from my table

The Banana Leaf is located on Addiscombe Road in Croydon, Surrey. I was told that it was a shop with a green sign. It seems on that side of Croydon everything is GREEN! I walked up and down and struggled to find the restaurant… The entrance was un-impressive and I am told that the restaurant has won many restaurateurs prizes?! Isn’t that supposed to include the location and presentation of a restaurant… anyway... I digress. So I found the entrance, got in. It was really dark at the entrance and the only source of light seemed to be coming from a massive fish tank near the till.

The poori  with Mushrooms

 I was taken to the basement where some of my friends were already seating. After all that walk, I was blooming thirsty and just wanted a glass of tap water to cool me down. So I asked for it. The waiter didn’t bring me my glass of tap water before 15 people had placed their drink orders including me and after he had given everyone their drink. Only then, he brought me my tap water… now that put my nose out of joint for the evening!

We proceeded to order the food. It was quite tasty, but often mushy. They didn’t take too long to serve from oder to delivery. I ordered Poori and mushrooms or starters and an aubergine curry with a coconut naan… (I had never heard or tasted any of that before).  Have I told you they were both curries? Yes they were! I skipped dessert… it could have been another sort of curry.



Aubergine curry with naan bread

While we were waiting for our food, I sneaked into the ladies… I always find that if the toilets are clean somewhere it is the sign of how clean the place might be; Restaurant, hotel, a friend house etc…

In this place, the toilet wasn’t the most clean. The taps were surrounded with a accumulation of dirt and the ladies toilet seat was broken. Light in there was very dim too. As for the hand dryer… well I didn’t use it as I thought that if the dryer recycles the air in the room in which it operates, all the possible gremlins will wind up being spitted on the hands I have just washed… yes I am a bit deranged like that… I went back to join the group still wiping my wet hands on my derriere as I suspected my clothes must have been much cleaner than the air from the dryer.

Overall, I will give 2 out of five stars for the food at Banana Leaf.  The venue will have 1 out of five stars. I don’t think I will ever set foot there unless blackmailed.

Highly recommended for High Street fast-food consumers, not for those who want to enjoy the environment as well as the food.

That is what I think, but Don’t take my word for it. Try it and form your own opinion.

Ciao!

The Reviewer.