TL;DR: Let us just avoid using too much hyperbole, and cut to the chase. The reliable cuisine of Indian will always have one or two winners within a good radius of any suburb; but the question can be, how many stack up to this level of quality? My Banyan Tree is a thorough winner, making sure that all clients are able to feel catered for. Then there is the service, ambiance and everything. It is safe to say this will become a favourite for many.
It had been a while since I had seen a friend of mine, and one week she sent a message suggesting to go see a movie at a particular cinema. Of course, in conjunction to that there was the offer of finding a place to eat beforehand - that aspect is an offer that I find difficult to refuse. So off it was in the middle of the week, the location was Fortitude Valley and even from just the couple of streets around the cinema there is a good array of choices for getting something to eat. For the most part, that meant finding somewhere on the fly and seeing what looked good - which was merely plan A. That is being said, this was initially the first cab off the rank ...
Going a bit further on later about service, a key aspect about how it can distinguish itself in quality comes to light here. The two of us were looking in, and possibly seeing if there was a menu to peruse before deciding. Instead, one of the waitresses peaked outside to see and without any second's hesitation beckoned the two of us and immediately got us to a table. Many places ought to understand this aspect, it makes quite the degree of difference.
Time was of the essence, and might have affected the overall feel of the place and possibly the extent of the experience, however from an observation of each aspect's quality this is definitely a cut above most of the competition. Not only was the food pretty good, duly noting the quality of the ingredients and use of spices, but there was a rare kind of ambiance that shows an attention to detail.
It was not just the service that had a good, deep attention to detail, but going into the restaurant it was clear that it was a cut above the rest of the options. Everything seemed immaculate, with mood lighting, the use of velvet curtains, and the entire area remained spotless as it could be. What we are talking about here, is the tables are already set before the clients sit down - wine glasses are poised to be filled, the cutlery is set nicely to the customer's right on top of serviettes, and the small plates are set in motion. The seating is quite comfortable, and the ergonomics are practically relaxing. This is all topped off with one spacious area.
The other strong point is the service. While it may not be so fine-tuned as it could be - given the ambiance and everything - many aspects are still there which contribute to an enjoyable experience. With bringing the foods to the table, the beats and timing were all fine and well measured, and the waitstaff have a good persona when it comes to customer service. Though maybe a bit more alertness with customer queries might do them a bit well, overall that is just a little criticism for what is otherwise a good level of service that heavily contributed to the enjoyability of the meal.
Not too long after seating down, maybe it was even before choosing from the menu, the meal started off with a couple of pappadams - as it is per the norm when eating Indian. And like it was per normal, the pappadam was more or less what it was. There was a good crunch to it, and the slightly oily texture really makes it what it is; they go pretty well dipped in a condiment.
With the menu here, it is one that is pretty big to the point that they practically halve it into two sections. That is one with the house specials for something a bit different, and there is the regular section for the usual suspects for appeasing less adventurous patrons. Even going on from that, they manage to categorise each section into the different meats that they have on offer to make it more efficient to cater to all the discerning tastes and preferences available.
This comes apparent from the entrees, in which they have the usual pakoras, samosas and such for the classic entrees, along with the chef's special entrees which are possibly code for "tandoori". Going from there are all the curries, which are similarly separated into the different meats: chicken, lamb, seafood and some vegetarian ones for good measure (and at that, not just a range of paneer either, they keep the variety up on that front), with the added bonus of always coming with some rice, and the client's choice of how spicy they are.
After that, they have not forgotten about all the aspects surrounding a good curry meal. That is the range of naans and rotis plus all the accompaniments which includes several kinds of pickles, and chutneys. A few desserts are there to sweeten up and finish off what should be one epic meal.
That is also not to neglect the range of drinks that they have. When dining in, customers can be treated to a range of wines, beers and other such items, while they still have the usual lot of sodas et al. And of course, it cannot be possible to have a complete Indian menu without the option of a few varieties of lassi.
She was possibly not the most hungry on the night, looking a bit reluctant to get more than a curry for dinner - which is a rookie mistake when this little black duck is included with the meal out, she should know that being a veteran and all - it took a bit of twisting my friend's arm to convince getting an entree before the main meal. And the stage was given to me, which I took to get something a bit different to the norm. I landed on getting some of the mirchi vada, which are green chilli fritters stuffed with a spicy potato filling, rolled in a golden potato batter. To fall it a fritter might have been a bit of a stretch, since these were whole chillies that they used - and the stems and seeds weren't even removed from the said chillies. It was because of this that they turned out to be spicier than I had anticipated.
That is to say, beyond the spice they were actually quite nice and had a good flavour. The potato mixture was also good, a mixture of being smooth and slightly chunky plus there was a good marsala mixture put in for good measure. With the chillies, the flesh was pretty tender and smooth, giving a weird bit of sweetness to them that really did well with the overt spiciness. I have had hotter and survived, but still this is not for those faint-of-heart. Credit will be given to the presentation, with all kinds of fresh, crunchy vegetables on the platter alongside the dipping sauce.
After that, it was on to the curries. With all sorts of specialties available, I went for something different as always. The curry of choice was "Kaichi Mirchi Ka Gohst", which is a lamb curry that cream-based sauce flavoured with hot peppercorns, saffron, and some fennel. Since this is the one I ordered, it can be a safe bet that it was ordered hot. The lamb meat was tender, and there was a fair abundance of it in the sauce which managed to be quite fiery, which made the thick, rich texture of the sauce even more dynamic.
As for my friend, from memory the curry she ordered as the paneer jalfrezi. This was a simple one, one that is common and reliable, with a cream-based sauce,and a simple combination of the titular cheese, onions, capsicum, and tomatoes. This was certainly ordered mild - the friend is no where near as keen on the spice - and it had a nice taste, but the sauce definitely could have kicked up the spice personally.
Lastly, there were two vital aspects to fully round of a good curry meal. That is getting a naan to eat the curries with, and something to drink. First up was the bread, and the choice went to a cheese and onion naan. As per usual, this was enjoyable. The onion and cheese were folded into the flaky mixture, and gave it a distinct taste as well as absorbing the butter used when making the bread.
And rounding it off is the lassi. It was a sweet one, that had a mild flavour, and a thick texture that is somewhere between a glass of flavoured milk and a milkshake. The yoghurt really makes it what it is, and it is cool and refreshing - especially when the curry becomes as hot as it was here.
Upon thinking about it at the end, perhaps a short visit here might not have been the best way to experience My Banyan Tree is to take your time here. And with that, this is one place that would be suited to taking a big group whether on an occasion or otherwise, even taking someone on a date ... regardless, it goes on the shortlist for fine restaurants around Brisbane. If only I had stayed here a bit longer, and tried a wider range of the food, it would easily rank as a 4.5 - or even a 5.0 with how fine all the underlying aspects about it were.
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