Banana Leaf Thai Restaurant (@banana.leaf.restaurant) in Adliya is my go-to place when I get a cold or when I’m hungover after a night out. Located just opposite Don Vito’s, this is the perfect place to eat out with your mates or to treat your family to some crazy delicious Thai food.

I’ve been here a couple of times before and am not done with this place yet. We were quite hungry and knew it would take a while for the food to get served so we went straight for the first few items on the menu. We ordered the “Noodle Soup Gai / Nuea” (Chicken / Beef) BD. 2, “Tom Yum Noodles Gai / Talay” (Chicken / Seafood) BD. 2 / BD 2.5, “Pad Kee Mao Noodles” BD. 2.5 & “Pad Prik Gang Gai” BD. 2.

The first thing you might notice is that the prices are really cheap compared to “Phuket Restaurant” & “Thai House” in Al Khobar and the portion are only slightly smaller but that where “Banana Leaf” comes to its own.  The “Noodle Soup Nuea” was a clear broth soup that packed a punch and the aroma could wake you up instantly. This hearty broth instantly cleared up the cold and the tender beef chunks and beef balls enriched the whole experience. The noodles could have been better though. The “Tom Yum Noodle Soup” was extra spicy (as requested) and the beef cooked in the coconut milk and red curry paste was exquisite. Loved the flavour the Kaffir lime leaves adds to the soup and for BD. 2, there isn’t a better bargain.

The “Pad Kee Mao Noodles” wasn’t what I hoped for. The flat noodles didn’t really have much taste to it and there were more vegetables than noodles.  And finally, what really got us in the end was the “Pad Prik Gang Gai”. If you are into Thai curries and wouldn’t mind a bit of heat, this beef dish with string beans and kaffir lime leaves cooked in red thai curry paste is worth every penny. It would go really well with some plain rice / fried rice which we regretted no ordering. The quantity is a lot less than you would expect so keep that in mind when you order here.

P.S: Before 5pm, there is a 15% discount on the overall bill so make sure you visit @banana.leaf.restaurant before 5pm.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/q4JWfppWN1z