Canteen-style Indochinese venue with an open kitchen and communal tables 

Banana Tree O2 Arena

Cant thank priya enough for her warm hosting and attention
We were so well looked after!!!! She is a great hostess!
Food would have been a 5 but the tamarind fish was overcooked and dry!

The food was amazing and the staff were really lovely. I do also want to give a shout out to Rachel who I Iiasied with. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns. She validated everything. Banana tree honestly care about customer service and they take feedback seriously. I went with my family and I would say if you have any concerns, contact banana tree and they will help.

Banana Tree, O2 Arena

Always wanted to try Banana Tree, thrilled to see one popping up at the O2. It is located where Cafè Rouge used to be, just outside of the O2’s main entrance.

I’m not sure what I liked the most, the two for one cocktails or the food. Actually neither of them. The service stood out the most. Robyn (girl with dyed hair) was really friendly and attentive, she even checked where our order was even though it hadn’t been that long. Shortly after the food arrived. It was delicious. We ordered a selection of items from the menu, including chicken, fish and noodles. They were all divine.

Unfortunately at the end of our main meals all the desserts had sold out, our visit was on a concert night however, so very understandable.

Overall, if you are looking for an alternative to Wagamama or are just tired of it, then try Banana Leaf.

For starters we tried the sticky thai wings which had nice flavour and was crispy which made the texture really good but the chicken itself was dry which made it less pleasant. We also had the calamari which was really good and came with a nice sauce it was crispy on the outside and the inside tasted fresh and wasn't rubbery. Steamed chicken dumplings was decent the sauce went perfectly and the chicken inside was very moist but I felt the inside lacked flavour the chicken and veg seamed plain so the vinegar sauce it came in helped and it wasn't too sour either it was nice.

For mains we tried the chicken jawa which was quite nice. The chicken was spicy but overly spicy. The salsa that came with it accompanied it really well. What I would say is the portion size isn't great and there isn't amazing flavour again the sauce is required to help it, but the chicken was tender and cooked well. The char grilled duck was really nice the duck was cooked perfectly and wasn't dry and the sauce it came in had load of flavour I would say this is better than the chicken and I don't really eat duck. Lastly the prawns Singapore laska was probably the best main of the lot the broth had amazing flavour and the contents of the broth were really good and cooked well if you like coconut you'll like this dish even more it has a slight sweetness and a good amount of heat which goes well together. And the prawns were tender and not rubbery which was great. Tip if you order some noodles and put that into the both it makes the dish better. With all the mains we had a side of egg fried rice which was standard nothing special or note worthy.

For dessert we all had the chocolate fondant with coconut ice cream. The ice cream was lovely and creamy not icy like cheap ice cream. The fondant was warm and soft but the centre wasn't gooey which was hugely dissatisfying. But the taste and textures were amazing so we enjoyed it regardless.

In terms of drinks we tried the wild strawberry mocktail which was probably the best mocktail on the menu it was sweet but not too sweet it had fizz and the passion fruit with it made it better. We also tried the lychee mocktail which I didn't think was great. If you like mint you'll definitely enjoy it. But for me it was too minty. But it starts off tasting nice but leaves a toothpaste flavour on your tongue which I didn't enjoy.

Overall I would say the place has a nice atmosphere and good outside seating with a lot of seating. But we noticed inside in the summer there was a lot of little flies and they kept coming to the table because they had two lights around the table one above and one on the wall which is super annoying. The place is kid friendly they have colouring for them and little games and word searches which is nice and a decent kids menu. Food is mediocre not amazing but not terrible. I would go again and try some of the other dishes which I will do. Price wise I would say it isn't worth it and very expensive for okay food. You can pay the same amount and get better food in my experience.

Finally, the service was really good though and the waiters were super friendly and helpful I couldn't fault them. The small thing I would say is they seem to get distracted with eachother and it becomes hard to get their attention but that was very minor.

Lovely food, great atmosphere and attentive staff.
The Aubergine starter is amazing! Liked the chicken pad thai and seafood curry also! Would definitely return.

All chicken and beef on our menu is Halal.

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