Banana Leaf Fusion

Great selection of traditional Sri Lanken food. The food was very flavorful and while the accompaniments on the plate were unexpected (to someone who is unfamiliar with the cuisine) I enjoyed them all. I will say that the food is spicy! There wasn't mention of heat level when ordering and it certainly didn't stop me from enjoying and eating the meal but I would suggest ordering something to help cool it down. I tried the chicken briyani (spicy but yummy!) and the mutton curry. I would have like to have seen more mutton for the portion. The portions in general are very large, great for sharing. I also tried the red rice with the curry which is more of an earthy grain. The restaurant is small but cozy. Service is friendly!

We saw an ad on Facebook and wanted to try the only Srilankan cuisine in Florida. It turns out to be located on South Alafaya, in the plaza across the entrance of Stoneybrooks.It is a relatively small dining room, but nicely decorated. Each setting has a plastic banana leave and a coconut shell.There are fresh fruit juices, beers and wines. We tried lafooda, the Srilankan specialty dessert drink, iced coffee and ginger beer, all tasty.We had a few appetizers to share-- fish buns, chicken balls, puff pastries (beef)... which came with 2 or 3 pieces.The entrees were sharable. We had the Bitiyani, a Basmati rice dish served with pineapple curry and vegetables. We also shared a roti and drunken noodles. Goat curry was excellent. The food was great, but it took so long. There were only 2 tables in the dining room, and we were waiting almost 45 minutes between appetizers and main courses. We had to pack the noodles to go.Our server was by herself, working hard. I decided to take one star off for the delays. If this establishment is in Waterford Lakes for a better location, I cannot imagine how busy it will. Great authentic food.

After hearing great things about this restaurant, I decided to go try their weekend buffet. Instead of the typical scoop and go buffet, they bring you a sampling of their menu. What you get can change from day to day. It's a perfect option to try a little bit of everything!This is a small hole-in-the-wall spot run by a couple. The owner's wife was amazing. Friendly, attentive, and informative! She frequently checked on us and made us feel at home. I will definitely be back soon!

So this is definitely hidden away. Apparently known by veggie locals. It took us a yr and half to find it. It's so close to our home and yet we didn't know its existence. Great value, unique flavorful food. I loved the rice and curry dish that came with some apple side, among other things. The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the okra side but I don't like okra. Everything else was perfect, especially the dessert. Parking is easy and service was super attentive. It's a mom + pop place and they take pride in their food. A wonderful date place and with the buffet, I plan to come back with friends.

It was our first time eating Sri Lankan food. The owner was great, he is back in the kitchen cooking but came and gave us some recommendations on what's popular, explaining the different items on the menu. I'm glad he did as the waitress didn't really communicate very well. The waitress slammed down our plates, drinks. Foods actually landed in my clothes. The food was interesting. Our entire party found someone they loved. We came with some friends and wanted a social evening. The restaurant closes very early - 8:30pm so we ended up socializing in the parking lot for a solid 25 mins.

If you're up for an adventure out to the woods of Alafaya then you are sure to be rewarded with a delicious experience at the end of the proverbial rainbow. But in all seriousness, the only thing stopping this place from getting the recognition it deserves is the location.Went on a weekend evening and were attended to well by the owner, who took the time to introduce us to many unique aspects of his Sri Lankan menu, a cuisine we were brand new to. The space is brightly decorated with a fitting banana leaf theme.We ended up trying the kothu roti with lamb and biryani with beef. We were informed ahead of time that the biryani is different than in other South Asian countries, and included ingredients such as eggplant, pineapple curry, a fried fish cutlet, and a boiled egg. It is initially served with all the toppings separated and meant to be mixed together with the rice, like a bibimbap in korean cuisine. Both were incredibly rich and flavorful, although I did think the beef in the biryani could've been a little more tender. The roti dish is deceptively filling but provides a very satisfying heaviness as an evening meal.Despite being stuffed to the gills we were itching to try a new dessert so we finished our night with the watalappan, which despite being a custard felt like a light, refreshing way to round out our palates.This is a true mom-and-pop shop (we literally saw the family loading up into their car and driving away a little after close) churning out beautifully crafted deliciousness for anyone willing to make the trek--just the kind of place we love to support and bring attention to. Hoping to come back soon with more friends, maybe to the try more dishes through their weekend buffet (11am-5pm) that only costs $20.99!

The young lady was super friendly and helpful in explaining the dishes and answering questions. Entering the small establishment, the tables were adorned with faux-green banana leaves instead of stereotypical cloths, which made the place look cooler. Atop these were plates and what looked dried out halves of coconut shells. The biriyani was spicy, flavorful, and gorgeous. My wife loved every single mouthful, impressively polishing off 99% the immensely served plate. I tucked into the Kothu Roti, not capable of surviving the immense spicy heat of most the dishes. Too much onions for my liking but that says nothing against the cultural dish; certainly not a fault. Also ordered an unsweetened mango juice (with pulp) which was quite soothing. Sadly, no room for desserts which just means we'll have to return one day!

One of the best wholesome heavenly and homely meals I've had in the recent past. My boy friend has been raving about place for a while and I was so excited to try it out during my trip to Orlando. Visited over the weekend for lunch. The owners (aunty and uncle) are so sweet and it felt like at home. The ambiance was very tropical and felt like we were in Sri Lanka. Very unique way of serving buffet, freshly prepared each item and served on a banana leaf. My fav Items:Egg fried rice; one of the best fried rice I've ever had. Absolutely drooling. So unique flavours. I immediately googled the recipe for trying it out. Coconut sambal: amazing. Truly comforting. So tasty and delicious. I couldn't stop eatingSpicy potato : omg this was so tasty yet had a kick of spice to it. Probably the harbanaro or Serranos peppers. Chicken and pork curries: super rich, flavourful and cooked in amazing authentic spices and aromatics. Paired excellent with hot white rice. Tune fish fry: damn this is so tasty, firm fish coated with amazing dry rub spices. Beetroot, beans veggie: looks so simple yet so flavourful. Paired great with rice or naan. Thick dal: yum!Fresh Papadama along with all these amazing dishes is a match made in heaven.Garlic naan was fresh and very yummy but would have preferred roti or chapati to go better with the gravy curries. Cannot believe how the chefs prepared all these items fresh for every single order of the thali to everyone who orders it. I love how the owner explained the reasoning: buffet dishes loose their flavour and taste after sitting in the counter for half hour or more. Hence they chose this approach. Kudos! Next time am at Orlando, will visit again for sure. Until then, will keep dreaming and salivating about this meal.

Banana Leaf is unique, authentic, fragrant, and tasty with friendly service. Made the trip out here while visiting Disney and although it's a bit out of the way, it's worth it! Highly recommend. I was the only customer in for lunch on a weekday and the server offered me a special, lamprais, a Sri Lankan dish with Dutch influence. The dish includes an egg over a bed of fragrant rice combined with coconut milk, surrounded by a juicy chicken leg quarter, caramelized onions, spiced sweet pineapple, green eggplants, and a fish and potato ball. Flavors were bold and fragrant, but not overwhelming. Can't say I've had anything like this in the past, but I can say it was delicious :) Their kothu roti dish looks amazing as well and I'd want to try that next time. Sri Lankan food is definitely hard to find and I'm glad to have made the trip out here to sample some of it. The owners recently moved from LA and I wish them the best in this endeavor, it was a wonderful experience.

As a Sri Lankan, the lumprais was okay. Nothing crazy. The drunken noodles were pretty good! The manager was very nice but the lady serving us was odd. She kept asking us to tip her in cash instead of through the machine which was a little suspicious to me. The ambiance was nice and comfortable.