Katherine MacAlister can’t stay away from the new Banana Tree restaurant for a taste of South East Asia

Getting teenagers out of bed requires more zeal than Donald Trump at a hair clinic, the coaching skills of Roy Hodgson and the patience of Mother Teresa, none of which I possess.

I therefore have to resort to that failsafe parenting tool – bribery – to coerce mine to do anything and food is the best way forward in our house, news of lunch at least raising a head off the pillow.

“Where?” was the one syllable reply. “Banana Tree?” I proffered like a proverbial carrot on an adolescent stick. “What’s that?” “It’s a new Indo-Chinese restaurant – Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean restaurant.” What’s the food like? “Spicy, silky, vibrant, fresh and gorgeous. Oh, and massive portions.”

He was up and in the shower before I had time to say Clearasil and didn’t even grumble en route to the new George Street eatery, where Jessops used to be, such was his anticipation.

I had been to Banana Tree when it first opened a few months ago and loved it. Having tried most things on the menu then, I knew it was the laksa or nothing for me, although I went through the motions of looking at the menu when we arrived.

Run by the lovely Anwill So, who looks like a warrior, impressing my son no end, we chose one of the Japanese-style tables which you have to fold your legs into.

The decor is quite something and we sat and ordered some fresh juices, ordering the saigo punch mocktail, amazing when you consider how hard it is to get teens to eat any fruit or veg at all.

The menu was adolescent heaven – spicy, large portions with lots of meat and noodles and enough accompanying salad to keep me happy.

We started with the steamed chicken dumplings (£4.95) with vinegar, garlic and fresh herb sauce, the Mayasian Kajang grilled chicken satay sticks (£6.95) served with steamed palm leaf rice, cucumber and mixed pickle and the aubergine half served with a caramel sauce, herbs and crispy shallots (£4.95). Bearing in mind said son is almost hibernating at this time of year and only wakes up to eat carbs in vast quantities before retiring again, this was his equivalent of a squirrel’s holiday.

The little soft silky dumpling parcels with their fragrant filling and deep rich dipping sauce were an immediate hit, my hoover of a son looking up suddenly after his first bite and realising he was on to a good thing. “I could drink this,” he said before moving on to the chicken skewers dipped in a killer satay sauce. The aubergine was another overwhelming hit, soft, marinated and soaked in a delicious dark oriental sauce it was the perfect starter.

Then the Banana Tree laksa – rice noodles topped with in a spiced coconut broth, with aubergine, tofu, bean sprouts, coriander and crispy shallots, accompanied with a choice of grilled chicken jawa, coriander meatballs, prawns or all of the above (£10.50) which arrived in a massive oriental bowl of silky, spicy heaven, which I dived into with alacrity, not content until the last spoonful had been slurped amid much lip-smacking.

The teenage appetite was then assuaged by the chicken jawa (£10.95) from the grilled meat section (de-boned chicken thighs marinated in Javanese aromatic spices, slowly chargrilled and served with ‘the grill combo’ aromatic spiced rice, spicy green papaya salad with crush and chilli salsa).

Anwill then insisted that we try the Balinese ‘Pulut Hitam’ Pudding with coconut ice cream, which was an absolute highlight for me, enjoying every mouthful of the fragrant black rice pudding, regardless of my protesting stomach. The warm chocolate indo-fondant (£5.75) was the teen’s equivalent of the cherry on the cake.

Enjoying himself so much that he forgot to be monosyllabic, we chatted happily and I caught up on weeks’ worth of news until he finally announced he was so full he couldn’t breath and needed a lie down – no change there. Except that now every time he emerges from his lair of a room, he enquires casually when we’ll be going back. It can’t be soon enough for me.

THE PARTICULARS
Banana Tree, 63 George Street
OX1 2BQ
bananatree.co.uk, 01865 200685

Opening times: 
Sun    11am - 10pm
Mon/Tues    11am - 10.30pm
Wed/Sat    11am - 11pm

Who’s who: Anwill So, manager
Parking: Central Oxford – so, no
Do try: The Mon-Fri lunch menu deal – one course £6.95, two for £9.95 with Chicken laksa soup, Steamed chicken dumplings and the chicken rendang