Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited along to review the Banana Tree restaurant at High Chelmer in Chelmsford. My visit also happened to coincide with the annual Chelmsford Food & Drink Festival and High Chelmer were keen to celebrate their own restaurant offering at The Exchange over this weekend. With restaurants like Banana Tree, Cote Brasserie, Turtle Bay and Turquoise Kitchen they certainly have a diverse global food offering and plenty of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Having never visited Banana Tree before I was really excited to see what it was like and what’s on their menu. Their speciality is Pan-Asian cuisine which is probably my favourite kind of food so I had a feeling I was in for a treat…
When I arrived at the restaurant I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were advertising their new vegan menu. I had of course hoped that they would have a decent range of veggie and vegan dishes but the menu they presented me with was really impressive and there was so much to choose from!
For our starters we ordered the Vegan Satay and Vegan Spring Rolls. When the food arrived it looked mouth wateringly good and I couldn’t wait to tuck in! Some of you will already know that I’m not always the biggest fan of fake meat style food but the Vegan Satay really blew my mind. It was incredible! I’m pretty sure any meat eater wouldn’t have guessed that it wasn’t chicken. The satay sauce was really tasty and I just loved how the dishes were presented. I also really enjoyed the Spring Rolls and as a combo of starters these dishes worked really well together and to share between two of us.
Banana Tree offer up some fantastic happy hour promotions and when I visited it was 2 for 1 on cocktails. I’m not really a big alcohol drinker so I was more drawn to their mocktail menu and couldn’t resist the sound of their Wild Strawberry Sparkler. This drink definitely tasted as good as it looks and was so refreshing. I also tried the virgin Pina Colada which really hit the spot and was the perfect drink to enjoy with spicy food.
When it came to ordering the main dishes I was in the mood for noodles so I went for their vegan Pad Thai with tofu. I really love Pad Thai and this one did not disappoint! I’d definitely order this again, it was so delicious and filling.
My husband chose the Taramind Spicy Aubergine with a side of Jasmin Rice. This dish is a mix of sweet, sour and savoury flavours and includes a mix of aubergine, fried tofu, pepper, carrots and spices. Let’s just say there was nothing left on his plate so I think he enjoyed it!
All in all we had an amazing lunch at Banana Tree and the only thing that disappointed me was that I didn’t have enough room for dessert! I really loved the laidback vibe of the restaurant and that, along with their decor and cocktails, had me really reminiscing about my past travels in Asia. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone and I think it’s one of those rare places that manages to cater for everyone and different dietary needs really well.
High Chelmer is a great mix of retail and dining all in one place. It’s ideal for a spot of shopping and with so many different restaurants to choose from there’s something for everyone which should keep the whole family happy!
Have you visited Banana Tree before?
Let me know your favourite dishes!
* Complimentary meal. All views and opinions expressed
are honest and completely my own.
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