Bananaa Leaf is one of the new models of family restaurants that are slowly finding their niche in Chennai. One can find examples of this new type of restaurant in most localities of the city: they are invariably housed in converted houses or apartments, sporting homely interiors, serving simple and wholesome food, and offering service of the kind that one might expect from well-trained house staff; warm and well-meaning, if occasionally inadvertently sloppy. Of course, one does not expect the spit-and-polish, touch-me-not elegance of star-rated or first-class establishments, but adequate creature-comforts and a relaxed ambience, where one can feel free to come dressed-down, in kurta-pyjama or T-shirt and sandals.

One enters Bananaa Leaf through a beautiful, carved Chettiar-house door into a low-ceilinged foyer, there to be welcomed warmly by the partners, Nirmala Jayaraj and Katherine Xavier. The twin-halled interior of the restaurant features an interesting bamboo-beamed false ceiling ("We wanted it to be gabled, but the architect couldn't work that in," says Katherine), red, floral-patterned 'attangadi' floor tiles, and thatti mats and Tanjore paintings on the walls. Suspended over each table is a little glass lampshade that gives a feeling of cosy intimacy to the diners at the table. The food is cooked with an eye to making it, first easy on the stomach, and then appetising. The taste, therefore, is not exceptional or heavily spiced, but satisfying, like the best home cooking. Katherine and Nirmala usually supervise the cooking, a practice they first began ten years ago, when running their own catering firm. The success of that firm, they believe, was due to their commitment to providing food that was as good, in quality and taste, as the food they cooked for their families, and they take pains to ensure that they maintain that standard in the restaurant. For genuine Chettinad flavour, every morning they have the cooks hand-pound the masalas and spices for the day. They also turn down requests from diners for ketchup and sauces with the explanation "bottled sauces do not go well with Chettinad food".

The soup-Tomato, Bone or Chicken-is thin and unsophisticated, but immediately gets the taste buds working, which is, after all, the true purpose of a soup. There is a large variety of meat dishes on the menu, all tender and well done. Only a few vegetable dishes grace the menu, but they are all ample in quantity and cooked with a minimum amount of oil: Green Salad (Rs.20), Vegetable Kurma, Vatha Kuzhambu, Pakoda (each Rs.38), and Cauliflower-65 (Rs.45). The partners recommend the house specials, namely; Kaadai Varuval (Japanese quail fried with masala, Rs.75), Kaadai 65 (quail, marinated and dry-fried, Rs.80), Bananaa Leaf Chicken (chicken cubes, deep fried, Rs.80), Chicken 2000 (a full chicken, deep fried, Rs.130) and Crab 2000 (crab meat fried with onion and masala, Rs.120). Carrot halwa, prepared in a different manner from the North Indian dish, makes a pleasing dessert.

Address:
Bananaa Leaf 
39 M.G. Road, 
Shastri Nagar 2nd Avenue.
Phone:490-0928

It is open from 11 am till 3 pm, and from 7 pm till 11 pm.

Arun Masilamoni

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