Review Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant - Raumati Beach

Great lunch. Best home made iced tea I've ever tasted and delicious food with generous portions. Wonderful service will be going back.

We were driving pass the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon and decided to try this place. It was incredible, we were welcomed so kindly, the service was so good and the meals were huge and delicious. We definitely recommend to come on a Sunday afternoon it was very relaxing and enjoyable!🤗

Staff were lovely and accommodating, food was good. Byo and licenced.

We keep going back. Excellent meal every time we've been. It's our favourite restaurant. After living in South-East Asia for 7 years this place reminds us of being on holiday there. Two of our favourite meals are the Goat Curry and the Lamb Varuval.

Authentic, delicious Malaysian cuisine with superb service. We truly enjoyed the Curry Laksa & Masak Lemak seafood.

Having eaten tons of Malaysian food, i can vouch for this place serving authentic dishes. If you can take chili padi or sambal belachan,you can ask them to make their rendang and sambal chili "malaysian hot", which is the proper authentic heat level to eat the food at. If you place your order without specifying the heat & spice level as "malaysian hot", you will get something non-authentic, in which case you have no right to complain. The beef in the rendang has been properly slow-cooked in rich gravy (unlike that blur-sotong masterchef uk judge who said rendang must be crispy - his statements on the tv show showed he knew NOTHING about how REAL rendang is made in Malaysia and Indonesia) and is very tender, juicy and flavoursome. You want attention to detail? - this place had pandan leaf strips inside the lemak rice :) (the mere mention of pandan should show you that i know my Malaysian food, having eaten it for over 40 years) The sambal is really really good and has good "pedas" level (again, this rating is for the true "malaysian hot" one and not the watered-down version for the local market so place your order correctly). The only minor issue is that the ikan bilis was not crunchy. But then again, i have had nasi lemak in SEA where the ikan bilis wasnt crunchy either, so no marks deducted :) And yes, ikan bilis IS supposed to be salty. Summary : if u r passing thru this area and want some authentic Malaysian dishes, stop for a meal.

Hi There , Just anted to mention the experience Had a quick visit to Paraparaumu -Kapiti the other day , was a good summer time for drive , and was damn hungry , luckily visited "Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant " which was one of bucket list to taste "Malaysian Food ", had a good time , with *** CHEF - Devi ( Duty Manager ) *** , very kind , professional and enthusiastic CHEF - suggested me chicken ( ps the pic ) , it was so tasty absolute type of "KFC chicken - with Special ingredients of Malaysian style also had rice and chicken curry was so delicious .over all good taste , fantastic customer service , 100% Recommended - To Have a good time visit " Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant

I went to Banana Leaf with my Malaysian wife a few weeks ago. We both thought the food was excellent, nice staff, friendly atmosphere, food tasty. Highly recommended.

Very good Malaysian food, as good as any I have had in SE Asia. Friendly owner. Bit pricier than I am used to in Auckland but for area and the quality, well worth it in my opinion. Beautiful presentation, unfortunately I forgot to photograph the main. Takeaway also available

Beautiful quaint Malaysian restaurant. We went with a big group and phoned in advance to let them know. Family run and operated. We ordered our food first and then after the first few dishes came out, the drinks came out as it's just the proprietor on the floor and helping a bit in the kitchen. The food was amazing. We ordered their goat curry, nasi lemak and roti (plain and cheese with garlic). The roti was soft, flaky and it went well with the goat curry. My sister in law ordered their lamb curry but swapped the lamb for goat and it was divine! The kids had Mee goreng and roti cheese which they loved! The Mee goreng kids portion was large to our delight so we could try some too. We will visit again the next time we are in Raumati. Thanks for the hospitality and food.

Great place nice food and awesome $11 Dahl totally recommend.

Delicious food (we had rendang and laksa) friendly staff, good service - recommended.

Nearly closing when we walked past, but welcomed us in when we looked through the window. Food was amazing, service with a smile!! Would definitely come back.

I don’t think this place deserves a four on Zomato. <br/><br/>First of all the menu needs to be updated. Everything is more expensive then the menus here by 2-3 dollars. <br/><br/>The skewers (in the picture) - were 6 for $15.00 and they were ok. <br/><br/>The reason I didn’t give a 2 is because the curry was tasty and although the portion was small maybe if you eat in, it will be a better experience and they will provide larger meals. <br/><br/>When I explained to the lady at the counter that the prices on zomato did not reflect what she was charging me she said she would let the manager know. So at least she is receptive. <br/><br/>My meal was $34.00, I think it is a little overpriced for portion size but the food was tasty. Don’t think I will be back - even though I love Malaysian food. Maybe try the laksa?

a wonderful dining experience! staff were attentive and lovely, food was excellent. will be back!

am very disappointed with what we were given. First of all, we came a long way to eat here. I ordered the curry puffs, which you could tell were just frozen ones brought from the supermarket as the pastry around it was so thick, the outside was hard and hard to chew and actually cut my mouth when trying to eat it. And my friend ordered the roti bread with peanut sauce. Not only was her peanut sauce very foul but it was also freezing cold, like straight out of the fridge and her roti bread was burnt. Then to finish it off, the guy serving was quite rude and it was so unprofessional that a restaurant in a semi busy area, couldn’t not even provide us with a $5 note and instead had to go into there own wallets and find some coins. Will never be eating here again. So disappointed, everyone go to Thai kai, that place is beautiful and staff are incredible.

We dined here for the first time 2 Sundays ago. The food was so good and the garlic roti were to die for. Goat curry was so tender. Service was very friendly and helpful, and though we were the last diners there, we were never made to feel as if we were keeping them waiting to close up. We look forward to our next visit.

Food was delicious. Our starters came promptly but mains took over an hour from when we ordered. Staff friendly, nice family friendly atmosphere.

Have had takeaways from Banana Leaf a couple of times now and both times have been a disappointment. Last night we ordered the char kuey teow which was dry and completely devoid of favour. The Malaysian chicken curry was watery and also lacking in flavour but the worst part of it was the chicken breast which was completely overcooked and dry. Won't be returning.

I am quite a regular here, living in the area. Each time I come I get the roti chanai + curry, and for me, I feel like the curry:roti ratio is too small and I eat my curry first and still pretty much have a whole roti left. The curry is nice, but last time I went (a week ago) it was served to me cooler than lukewarm, while my roti was scorching hot. (Not gonna lie, the roti is VERY tasty.) The woman working was very nice about heating up my curry, though. My dad ordered the laksa a week ago and was very sick from it, he believes he was food poisoned. <br/>The decor here is quite exquisite, I love the feel of the restaurant and also love the cheap takeaways they do. Staff are very friendly. <br/>Would I come back after last week? Yes, but not in any hurry.

What amazing Thai!! A must to try! A beautifully presented menu with gorgeous photos.<br/>The satay is to die for and the meals so fresh and tasty. The service is very good and they are very kid friendly with a great kids menu with a Thai touch.

In a word - Exceptional. The food is spectacular, my mixed plater was a wonderful unique range of flavours that took me somewhere else. My main - the lamb cooked in 15 herbs and made spicy for me specifically was a flavour bomb beyond mere words. Unique flavours are often hard to come by with so many restaurants doing bland far too well. This place is the quantum opposite. A must if you love tasty, delicious food from the heart. Extremely recommended!

Love Asian food and this was right up there, the beef rendang was great, the service friendly and the price reasonable. We had the $10 take outs which were perfect for a lunch or Sharing a few different dishes at night.

Amazing find in Raumati Beach, Paraparaumu! Amazing curries and rotis... With friendly service.<br/><br/>We ordered the Banana Leaf Chicken, the Lamb dish and Gado Gado Chicken. We ordered the special chicken Malaysian hot and had a nice spice and flavour! The lamb was melt in your mouth and the Gado Gado was also requested spicy but the home made peanut sauce made a fab cooling addition.<br/><br/>The popadoms and roti are Devine and made fresh so don't miss these! Would definitely come back to try the goat... Their signature dish! YUM!

Pretty good food and not a bad price, service was good and not a long wait plus the price was competitive.  Worth a drive out and they do a cheap takeaway if you want a picnic on the beach with some Malaysian food for a change.  I recommend anyone give it a try as a nice change.

I have recently become vegan and it is really hard to find vegan friendly restaurants in kapiti. Banana leaf was awesome! The staff were polite and welcoming and were very happy to accommodate to my dietary needs. My partner also eats truckloads of food, so he was very satisfied by the serving size of the nazi goreng! Great service all round

Awesome people and amazing food! Your passion for this food is evident in the quality and presentations of each meal, not to mention the taste, i would recommend this to anyone that loves thai or curries. We went after reading the positive reviews and weren't disappointed yum yum 😋

The Banana Leaf is an small suburban, ethnic restaurant and does not pretend to be anything more than that. The menu was not overwhelmingly large and based heavily on Indian style dishes with Malay influence, Manny was a great host - attentive & knowledgeable about the ingredients, explaining the food & drink combinations, so that what we expected was what we got. The food was well prepared, well presented, delicious, unpretentious and authentic. We would eat there again

One of the best restaurant in Paraparaumu.<br/><br/>Awesome hosts...<br/>Delicious food...<br/>Rich menu...<br/>Reasonably priced...<br/><br/>Above all, food is made with immense care, love and attention to meet the expectations. What else do we need??<br/><br/>Saj

Excellent service. Beautiful food. Reasonable pricing. Finally found a Mee Goreng that matched my expectations. The goat curry was tender. The entree fresh.

We love this local restaurant with fantastic food and service. You can't beat it! Manny is a fantastic host and has a great memory! He recalls our conversations from past visits! <br/>I particularly love the goat dish, but have tried many others. You just have to try them all if you get a chance if you're local. Best you get down there!

This family run malaysian restuarant is my absolute favourite. Manny and family are amazing host's who give me and my friends the warmest welcome ever. The food is amazing, made only from fresh ingredients and in a totally authentic Malaysian style. We visit each month and Manny always recalls what we had previously. He explains the dishes and advises us on the spiciness etc. I thoroughly recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking something alternative from the normal Asian/Indian options. It is well worth a visit even if you have to travel from town. You will be back again once you have tried it.Thanks Manny and Family for your wonderful hospitality. See you next month.

We went for dinner tonight! Absolutely awesome service from the hosts. We loved all of our food, but I especially loved the sweet roti! I would definitely go back for dinner, and I would definitely go back just for an icing sugar and butter roti with a scoop of kapiti vanilla ice cream. They are absolutely beautiful! We had an all round excellent time!

Wow - had an awesome meal on Sunday.  I had Nasi Goreng, my brother lamb curry, and my sister-in-law Prawn Curry.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and the hosts are great :)  Will definitely be back.  Absolutely recommend to others.  YUM.

<br/>We have visited Banana Leaf before and have enjoyed their food but this time around was exceptional. Very authentic tasting dishes! We shared a platter for two (recommended). We also had a prawn curry and Guda? All I can say is yum!<br/><br/>We will be back.. Thank you for being such great hosts :-)

I hate the homestyle prawn curry and it was by far the moat outstanding curry i have ever tasted! Whole prawns in the shell ensure maximum flavour but not overpowering. Presentation was on form with rice, roti, pickles and a poppadom. Value for money. Will definately be back!

Had Nasi Goreng. It was a very lovely meal full of flavour and tasted amazing. Really enjoyed it and will definiely be back to try more dishes in the future.

Lovely people, hospitable and interested, you feel very welcome. The atmosphere in this restaurant is tranquil and reflective. <br/>Lovely food, fresh, tasty, highly recommend this establishment.

We book for Christmas function for 5 people was the best ever dinner we had in Kapiti Coast with real touch and taste of Malaysian food.Our starter was seafood mix platter which so so yummy and for the mains I had fish curry and my friend she had lamb curry which was recommended by the gentleman. And the service was really good and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant to dine in and experience the real Malaysian taste!!!!!!!!????????

Food in this place is great, it was my third or fourth visit, and I highly recommend the Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant. Very friendly, great service, as well as the awesome food.

I can't recommend Banana Leaf highly enough to all who love Asian/Indian authentic foods. This is the real deal, as having lived in India &amp; Asia for a period of years, I'm always amazed at what here in New Zealand gets promoted as "authentic!"<br/>I noticed Simon W's review earlier &amp; frankly I've never seen "butter chicken" advertised in India or Malaysia, so suggest he keeps to the food court malls of NZ for his dinning experience!<br/>I booked Banana Leaf to host a special gathering for us, for 18 guests &amp; we all had such a wonderful night, sampling some of the most beautiful foods many of us had ever had. Our beautiful hosts, adapted every guests meal to their requested taste, as the meals are all cooked from scratch &amp; with fresh ingredients.<br/>Yes it is a little more expensive then some, but I have found in life, you get what you pay for. So please take a chance to have possibly the dinning experience of a life time! You'll probably bump into me, as I now choose to dine there twice a week.<br/>Thank you Haari &amp; your lovely wife, for coming to the Kapiti Coast &amp; bringing your simply beautiful food to share with us.<br/>Vishaal

I've had a number of dining experiences with Banana Leaf Restaurant - both eat in and takeaway - and I don't want to get into too much detail about any of them in this review. My comments, then, are more of a brief summing up of my experiences and are offered directly to the owners/management of the restaurant. First of all, you're located in a difficult demographic area for your type of food. Raumati (and Kapiti in general) tends towards the boring and conservative in terms of palate. As much as I appreciate that you want to be authentic, you will probably need to compromise a little if you want to survive. There's nothing to be ashamed about putting butter chicken on the menu for the benefit of the kids and the plain boring. <br/><br/>Thai restaurants here, sadly, learnt this a long time ago. <br/><br/>Also note that Kiwis, like Americans (sadly) have come to associate value with quantity rather than quality. Adjust your prices and servings to make them seem like Asian street food value to the average punter. $12 or $15 for a starter is just silly. $23 for a takeaway, no matter how good it is, is not going to get many locals in for a Friday night family feed. <br/><br/>Check out Pandan in Tawa (of all places) if you want to see a business model that works for Malaysian and South Indian food. You could learn a lot from them.<br/><br/>I wish you well.

We went for our girls fun night out to this recommended by several people extremely friendly and warm place. We ordered seafood curry, spring rolls, curry puffs and desert. Chef came out after cooking our meals and told us the history of each meal, the way he cooked it, traditions and stories around it. It was such an amazing evening, we learned and tried so much. thank you very much for a fun and yummy night. Going to order on-line platters for my birthday next. Great flavors and service. Top marks.

Banana Leaf is a welcome addition to the NZ cuisine scene. I was very pleased to discover tasty Malaysian food available in Kapiti area. I am originally from Asia and it's been challenging to find delicious, authentic Asian food in NZ. My kiwi partner also enjoyed the food. F&amp;B variety was good, but we hope Banana Leaf will expand its menu while keeping its authenticity. Service was friendly and professional. I'm happy to recommend this place.

My fiancee and I had the pleasure of visiting the Banana Leaf tonight and without a doubt it was the best dining experience we have had in 2 years of living in Kapiti. We did not make a booking and were seated immediately by a very friendly and welcoming waitress. As all the entrees on the menu looked very appetising we decided to try the mixed platter for 2 to start and the combination of flavours with the food and dipping sauces was absolutely superb. We followed up with a lamb soup as suggested by our waitress and this did not disappoint. the meal was rounded off by a Chicken Curry for mains and the fusion of flavours could not have been better. Having experienced authentic Malaysian food in the past I found the mix of spices to be perfectly balanced. <br/>The staff were wonderful and an added bonus was having the very hospitable owner/chef come to our table to check if all was to our liking. We were greeted by the owner and his lovely wife with smiles and good wishes at the end of our evening <br/>This is definitely a restaurant that we will be visiting again and have no hesitation in recommending to all. We cannot wait to return to once again experience that Malaysian magic. Terima kasih banyak banyak Namaste

Would expect more authentic Malaysian food. Find most dishes a bit too sweet for my liking. Too much desiccated coconut in rendang. Deco mainly mix and match from Asian country and would suggest to have better selection of ambient songs.

This is the 3rd time we have visited the Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant and I have to say that our first visit was the absolute best! The owner served us, he was friendly, accommodating and the food was AMAZING!! The 2nd time the restaurant was full and we enjoyed the food, however our last visit dated 13/07/13 there was only a couple of tables occupied and the food was average based on previous experiences. Overall pretty good, but may have to lift their game.

Really enjoyed the food. It is always a good indicator when a restaurant is full and well supported by the locals.<br/><br/>Good value for money. Some observations: I ordered medium hot, but would advise you order hot if you like your food a bit more spicy. No salt on the table - the rice was a bit bland. It was interesting to note that there were no actual Asian clientele at the restaurant.<br/><br/>Will definitely go back for more!

Really nice food. We're big fans of Rasa in Wellington and now reside in Kapiti, so pretty happy to find a place at least as good. They've only been open a couple of months and often look quiet, we were the only ones in there on a Thursday night for example, but don't let that put you off, they do good stuff. Judging by the reviews on this site we're not the only ones who think so, so I hope they do well and stick around. Maybe the background music could be a little more "dinner" and less "rap/party".... my only criticism, oh and maybe some Tuatara in the fridge...

Just returned home from dinner at the Banana Leaf and I am impressed. <br/>It was a rare night out for dinner without our children and the service was quick and the owner was very attentive.<br/>Food was delicious. Could not get enough of the satay sauce. <br/>I had a seafood curry which was delicious and my husband had the laksa which was quite spicy but the were very accommodating too his mild palate.<br/>Will definitely be returning (though may be for takeaway as nights without children are rare) and will be recommending to our friends

This is the 3rd time I have dined here, I went when it was first opened and there was definitely a few speed bumps!<br/>However I have been twice in the last May and April and the turnaround is awesome. My beef Rangdan was fantastic, prices are great value - with good lunch specials. Good wine and boutique wine list. Service was attentive. This place has placed it self competitively with the best of the Kapiti places to eat. Highly recommended.

This the best Malaysian food I have tried in Wellington. The service is excellent and very well priced delicous food. I have travelled from Wellington three times now. Every time the food and service has been excellent. The owner is very frieindlyand offers great insight to the dishes.<br/>Highly Recommended.

Been here a few times now ... the food and service are consistently excellent. Love that the owner is visible and cares that his guests are enjoying themselves. Really friendly atmosphere. And super yummy.

Have eaten at Restaurant and had Takeaways as well. the food is excellent always. I will continue to go there and have had friends and family who have been impressed also.<br/><br/>The service is excellent and atmosphere spot on.

My husband and I had dinner here the other night and were very impressed with the food, the service and the prices. We thought the chicken satay was the best we have ever had and my husband raved about the beef rendang which was meltingly tender and tasted sublime. My prawn sambal had just the right amount of spiciness. The waitress was very friendly and we appreciated her advice with the menu. Everything was nicely presented and all the staff are keen to please. Two entrees, two mains, roti and chilli paste, corkage and two beers came to $90. Fantastic value!

Our first experience tonight at Banana Leaf and we were very impressed. Absolutely loved the food - the staff were very nice and it was great that Hari took to the time to check on us and have a chat. Being locals we will most definitely be back and will spread the word.

Have been to Banana Leaf several times now...excellent host, lovely casual feeling, excellent fresh ingredients and tasty food! A happy addition to Kapiti Coast eating. We're already regulars...congrats on a well considered new venture!!!

My husband and I dined at Banana Leaf the other night. We found the food to be very good and the host/owner, Hari, very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable about Malaysian cuisine. This restaurant is a nice addition to a rather meager selection of dining options in Raumati Beach at the moment.

I grew up in Singapore so when Banana leaf first opened up in Raumati Beach you can imagine my excitement. This is authentic Malaysian food. If i am not wrong, their chef is Malaysian. So to those who are used to Chinese food takeout and would love to try what a real Mee Goreng is like, go to Banana leaf. A must try dish is the Satay. Nicely grilled and the satay sauce is even better than those I've tried in Singapore.

My partner &amp; I went to Banana Leaf for dinner. Service was good, but food was poor. We've eaten Malaysian overseas and in NZ, and were disappointed. Apart from being salty, my mee goreng was bland. My partner's dish just lacked flavor. We've had better from dry mix supermarket packs.<br/>The owner was very good and promised to make improvements. I hope he does.

A welcome addition to the Raumati culinary scene!<br/><br/>I love Malaysian food, and was not disappointed with Raumati's newest restaurant. <br/><br/>The service was friendly, personal and attentive and the food was all fantastic and reasonably priced. I have already been back and look forward to many more visits, and also to giving the takeaways a go sometime soon.<br/><br/>I think the other reviewers possibly need to give a new restaurant like this more than just one opportunity before posting such a negative review, as with any new business there are bound to be teething issues.<br/><br/>However their experience just doen't gel with what we experienced, and I'd encourage any Raumati locals to get down there and see for yourself!!

My partner and I were disappointed with the setting, the food, the service, the lack of staff knowledge and being overcharged.<br/><br/>The setting itself was ok, however people without reservations sat in better places that we did when we first came in.<br/><br/>The food was bland. No spice (we were not asked for mild / medium / hot), and was something that we could just make at home. <br/><br/>The service was just enough to serve food and water. No one asked how we were enjoying the meal throughout our entire experience - even though the restaurant was slow.<br/><br/>Lack of staff knowledge came when our food was served as "is this your fried rice?". No - we didn't order fried rice, we ordered nasi goreng - is this is? Don't know? They go back to the kitchen to come back saying, yes this is your order. <br/><br/>Overcharged, as the chicken Nasi Goreng Kampung (ex anchovies), chicken sabal, 2 x roti and corkage was over $50. Hang on, nasi goreg $17.90 or so, chicken sabal $18.90, 2 x roti for $3 each = $42.80. So corkage was $9 +...? There was talk of one of our meals costing $22 - however no one (when asked) could confirm this.<br/><br/>I love Malaysian food, in particular, Nasi Goreng.<br/><br/>At least I had good company and the nice wine we bought with us.

My boss absolutely raves about this place - now I will too! Particular highlights are the chicken satay, the service and staff and the very reasonable prices. Delicious! Will definitely return.

My partner and I have eaten here twice - both times the food and service were excellent. It has a lovely atmosphere. The chicken satay is the best I've ever had - in fact all our dishes were authentic and tasty. Highly recommended - trust me it's great... we will be back again and again.

Visited Banana Leaf this evening and we were very pleased with the makeover of what had been a rather tired old restaurant, it is now fresh and clean. Service was fine and menu was well explained. Food was well presented and tasted very good. We look forward to our next visit.

Update: went to Banana Leaf again last night, my partner and I had a very enjoyable evening. None of the problems we experienced on our first visit were present this time.<br/><br/>We both had starters which were very nice followed by very good main and I had a desert that was nice too. <br/><br/>Service was great and it was an enjoyable night.<br/><br/><br/><br/>First visit in November 2012: Went to Banana Leaf on Friday night. The service was terrible and while the food tasted OK, at least 1 of 3 dishes has ingredients missing. Another was so hot (a lot hotter than kiwi hot) that it was not enjoyable to eat.<br/><br/>While we waited for our order we witnessed at least two other tables leave as they had given up waiting for their order to be taken. The ambience wasn't great and people seemed to eat their food and leave straight as soon as possible.<br/><br/>Hopefully these are just opening hiccups.