Banana Leaf

Last night we had the great experience of dining at the Banana Leaf. It was a unique experience and very tasty.

This is a great restaurant for people who...

• Love Indian food
• Like Indian flavors, or want to try them, but do not know where to begin
• Want an authentic experience
  
• Are vegetarian or Vegan
• Like understanding what they are eating
• Like trying new things
• Like great service
• Want a leisurely and luxurious meal

This is not a good restaurant for people who...

• Hate Indian food
• Are super picky about ingredients
• Want to get in, eat, and get out
• Don't think a meal is complete without meat
• Hate talking to the owner/service staff
• Are overly concerned with ambiance
  
• Hate trying new things

Banana Bean is an Southern Vegetarian Indian Restaurant, a hole in the wall type place on Bethel road (across from Micro center). Its not much to look at, just a thing slot in a strip mall. The decor is bright and modern, but very modest. Upon entering we chose where to sit and sat to wait for the rest of the party. The owner came over, explained to us how the meal worked (it is a whole meal, you do not order off a menu), and brought us samples of their various Lassi flavors (a yogurt drink, they had Mango, Rose, Citrus, sweet, and salty) while we waited. When the rest of our party arrived we moved to a bigger table and he explained how the meal worked again, giving us printed versions of the various customs and descriptions he had told us about.

The meal started with Lassis, which were unlimited throughout the evening. Once we had tasted the various flavors and each chosen our favorite for a bigger serving, he started bringing us freshly prepared plates of Chaats. He described this as the street vendor food of southern India, bite size morsels packed with flavors. We had a Vegan in our group who requested non-dairy, and they brought him seperate plates for any appetizers that are normally made with yogurt. In total, the meal includes seven Chaats. Some hot, some cold, some spicy, some sweet, some were crunchy, they all were delicious. Following these appetizers, we moved onto the buffet itself, which included three more appetizer style items (including the very popular battered and friend hot peppers), three curries, a soup, and of course a wide variety of chutneys and sauces. This course also included a variety of fried breads being brought to the table, some to eat with the buffet items, and others that were stuffed with potatos and onions. Considering we were all pretty much full after the appetizers, we were certainly stuffed after sampling the buffet.

Everything I tasted (which was pretty much everything) was delicious. The buffet also was vegan friendly, with only one non-vegan item. When we had our fill, they then brought us chai tea to finish off the evening (a variety of desserts are also available upon request, we were too full to partake).

The food was amazing and fresh, the owner and other workers were exceptionalyl helpful, friendly, and accomodating. They explained what everything was, what chutneys are usually paired with which foods, how they make things, even their "secret" recipe for the tea. The owner repeated several times throughout the night that we should feel like we were at home and that anything we wanted we would get. He encouraged even those who were not paying customers (DH came to socialize but does not typically like Indian food) to try a few dishes, allowed (and even encouraged) us to take home a to go box from the buffet, gave us a free to go box for someone who could not make it, and made sure we were satisfied with every course.

I strongly recommend trying out this resteraunt. It was a really fun and unique experience, and a great value at less than $15 per person. 5 stars!!

Banana Leaf
816 Bethel Rd.
Columbus OH 43214
(614) 459-4101
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30am-2:30pm and 4:30pm-9pm