Singapore’s Banana Leaf

Been here a ton of times. Usually get the indo style with noodles and paratha. Good food for a good price. Family owned, and the owner’s son is always very kind.

Our experience for having #1 Laksa here is rather non-​authentic and scary.
We had asked for medium spiciness as the person taking food order advice how we can’t handle it. The soup base came as yellow color entirely and lack of flavor.
There was also immediate skin rash with possibly allergic to dried prawn if there’s any in this laksa or in the chips that came aside. Will not recommend for anyone with shell-​fish allergy to take the risk.

As a Singaporean, this restaurant tarnishes the reputation of Singaporean cuisine.
We ordered the «tuna sambal» and the rendang beef. The tuna sambal was a disaster. We do not have this dish in Singapore, but I Guess they were trying to be inspired by stingray sambal. But let’s say, there’s NO real sambal, and tuna definitely tasted out of the can. I would have given it a 0.5÷5
The beef rendang fare slightly better. Beef was dry and tough, but rendang sauce was okay. ³⁄₅
There’s quite a limited fare of singaporean cuisine here. Perhaps I should have ordered the safe choice Mee goreng. But oh wells.
Not returning.

The food is so good. So fresh and the line gets long. It’s not fast food so don’t expect speedy service. the food is cooked after you order it.

They obviously toned down their flavors for the local demographic. Can’t hold a candle to Borneo in Alhambra.

Let me start with a disclaimer. I spent five months in Southeast Asia – primarily Singapore – where I tasted pretty much all the flavors that the region could offer. Perhaps my review then isn’t quite fair as I’m comparing what I tasted to the meals I had in Asia. Nonetheless, here we go.
My absolute favorite dish in Singapore was Laksa! Stoked to see that Banana Leaf had it, I without any hesitation whatsoever went right for it. I noticed when the soup came out that it was a bit more watery than what I had become accustomed to during my stay in Singapore, but it wasn’t until I tasted the soup that I realized the curry broth itself was also watery in flavor. The noodles were a bit different than I was use to as well. I’m more familiar with the fat, wide rice noodles but what they gave me here was more in tune to the cylindrical glass noodles – not the same.
Was the soup bad? No. Was it amazing? No. Would I give this place a second try? Yes, but I’d get something other than the Laksa.

I can’t remember the last time a lunch made me feel like all my frustrations with the world, with my career, with my life were slowly fading away. The Singapore noodles with chicken satay was so delicious that I almost forgot about my infant child’s needs. He soon interrupted my food-​gasm and I fed him a bottle before returning to savor my new favorite dish. Now wish I had a warm bath and a cigarette.

This place is great. Food is super fresh, service is quick and the people are nice.
Protip: they do accept credit cards

This is about as close to Singapore as you can find without catching a flight.
The chicken curry is legit and so is the laksa.
But where is the hainan chicken rice? I know it’s not Singaporean, but it is popular there.
I would give 5 stars if they had chili crab.

Was back on Sunday!
LOVED IT!!!
Had the Mie Gorang Indo –style!
The Farmer’s Market is AWESOME!!!

I had a nasty craving for Laksa since I moved back to LA. I’ve been wanting to try this place but there’s always something better (I mean food) that made me change my mind (every time I hit The Grove). This time I put my foot down and went for it. The cashier was really nice and recommended the Mee Goreng. I asked if it was made from instant noodles and was told that they’re using wheat noodles. I paid, I took a bite and regretted it. It was dull and tasteless, nothing like wheat. Straight out flat and sad. The chicken skewers (Satay) with spicy peanut sauce was doable and that was it.

Very good tuna sambal. Fresh vegetables. Better than last time. Wish it was closer to where I live !

Thought the food had a promising start and fell somewhat flat. Roti canai was quite good — the curry sauce had impressive flavor, but the rendang and mee goreng were a joke. Rendang was nothing like it should have been — clearly not cooked for ages with ground curry paste and coconut. The mee goreng was the saddest part. It was lo mein noodles with minimal flavor. My friends thoroughly enjoyed their «authentic» food and I kept my opinions to myself because, well, why be a downer and a foodie when people are enjoying themselves? Not authentic Singaporean by any stretch. There are many other food stands in this area; unless you’re really craving some pseudo SE Asian flavors, I’d give this place a pass. I feel bad writing this review because the people working there were very nice. But my disappointment sat heavy in my chest. Along with my rendang-​cum-​chicken stir-​fry concoction.

Meh. The Mee Goreng Fried Noodles they’re popular for look so fucking good in images but it’s all so deceiving. The dish is served with two skewers of Chicken Satay and a side of curry sauce but the sides are pretty much the only tasty components. The noodles themselves are excessively sweet and surprisingly contain zero flavor nor salt. Maybe throw in a dash of MSG or something something cause the dish definitely needed more flavor/​sodium/​acidity/​citrus to balance out those bland yet sweet sad fried noodles. I guess they also like to fry their eggs until the yolk is solidified. Ugh.
Curry Puffs are tasty, similar to samosas though they’re now half the size they used to be, freakin tiny! Paratha is greasy but it’s served with a side of their yummy curry sauce which helps anything taste better.

Great Singaporean food and cool décor. Strong flavors, distinct and delicious. Great service team. Curry and rendang stood out.
⁴⁄₅ NOMS

Ordered the mild luksa which comes with fishballs, tofu, bean sprouts and rice noodles in a curry coconut broth. There was also a side of fried shrimp chips. The broth was creamy but not heavy. The overall flavor was not strong and might be a bit bland for some people’s taste. But the fishballs were delicious!
This place is located in the Farmer’s Market so it can be quite crowded. Service was great and friendly.
Be sure to park at the surface parking along Fairfax. Two hour free parking with validation. The parking for The Grove is only 1 hour free parking and there’s no validation for that one.

I stopped in here the other night on my way home after some shopping at the grove and was very impressed. I got fried noodles with tofu and man did it hit the spot! After walking around all day touring the sites this was exactly what I needed it, it was carb overload and I loved every minute of it. The food was fresh, service was friendly and my order was up fast. If I lived here I would no doubt become a regular.
So so good, would highly recommend stopping in here if you’re in the area looking for a tasty bite!

This is my go-​to spot for the comfort food of Roti Canai & Mee Goreng (Indo style, of course — fried egg on top with chicken satay).
Not the best I’ve ever had, but where else you can get Malay/​Indo food in LA? And at these prices?

THE FOOD HERE IS LIP SMACKING FINGER LICKING AND NO SHARING TYPE OF GOOD!!! My favorite place to eat at the Farmer’s Market (beats Pampas Grill)!
Introduced to their food by a friend as we were waiting outside in line to see Dancing with the Stars at ABC Studio. We were getting hungry so I wanted to pick up some food from the Farmer’s Market and she wanted Mee Goreng from Banana Leaf. I had a bite and thought it was so delicious… it wasn’t the hunger talking… it really was fantastic.
My favorite is the Mee Indo Style which comes with fried noodles, two chicken satay sticks, fried egg on top and peanut dipping sauce (?) all set atop banana leaves on a plate. Squeeze some lime juice on there, chop and mix in the fried egg with the noodles and dip your chicken in the sauce and THE FLAVOR OF IT ALL IS AMAZING. I always order MILDLY SPICY and am never disappointed whenever I order this dish. They are pretty consistent to me.
Roti Paratha w/​veggie curry dipping sauce is a perfect side dish. Their paratha is flaky and perfect flat bread.
Their employees are nice and quick with your order.

Backing up the bus (again) to Betty N’s Party Bus Tour, this was stop #2-​B @ Farmers Market.
After a stop at Bob’s for some yummeeeey donuts, I walked around to see what else there was to see since I haven’t been here for years. As I’m walking I see «Singapore’s Banana Leaf» and I’ve got to check it out.
You see I’ve really enjoyed the Malaysian food at the other «Banana Leaf» restaurants (in other countries, mostly), so I had to check this place out. Turns out it’s not related to the others and leans more towards Singaporean /​Indonesian flavors than Malaysian.
SERVICE: You order and pay at the counter, then pick it up when ready and they call your number. Seating is the «fend for yourself» type in the alleys between the shops, but if you’ve been to Farmers Market, you already know this.
FOOD: I decided I just HAD to try the Roti — Paratha ($ 4 as I remember) and is very similar to roti-​canai in a Malaysian restaurant. A small bowl of curry served with roti (a large, flat, tortilla like bread) that you dip in the curry. This curry was more Indian /​Indonesian than Malaysian and so a different flavor, but still very good. The roti was hot, good by itself, but delicious when dipped in the curry sauce. YUM!
OVERALL: If you happen to be at Farmers Market and craving Singaporean or Indonesian food, this is the only place to go!