Nestled off the busy Hall Street at Bondi Beach is the third branch of Banana Blossom, a small chain of Asian salad restaurants which opened a few years ago. It’s a beautiful summer day and I’m planning to visit the beach later, so I’m pretty stoked to be trying a lighter lunch of salads instead of the usual meat-heavy lunches I’d usually opt for.
The restaurant itself is quite small, with just a few seats inside and out the back as well. It feels almost like a little terrace home you’ve walked into and as we sit at the front, we discover it’s a great place for people watching, especially with all the toned sun-kissed people walking around.
Tokyo Classic Chicken – $13
Today I opted for one of their more popular salads, the Tokyo salad. It contains a whole bunch of ingredients with the prominent ones including chicken, green tea soba noodles, Chinese cabbage, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and mint leaves, topped with a creamy white sesame dressing. To be upfront, I’m not a big fan of soba noodles as I find them quite bland, and I also don’t usually like eating mint leaves. However the combination here converted me – the creamy sesame dressing added loads of flavour to the noodles and the mint added an underlying freshness. The avocado provided even more creaminess throughout the crunchy salad leaves and overall I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty this salad turned out to be. Hands down one of my favourite salads which I would definitely have again.
Coconut Chicken Crispy Egg Noodle – $13
Yvn opted for the Coconut Chicken Crispy Egg Noodle salad, containing a leafy mix with fried crispy noodles, green papaya and pineapple topped with a sweet tamarind and sesame dressing. This salad is a textural winner – those crispy noodles add heaps of crunch and it’s tied nicely together with the sweet dressing. The meat has subtle coconut flavours and the green papaya and pineapple add extra fruity sweetness to the salad. I still preferred the Tokyo salad but this was Yvn’s preference in terms of flavour.
After eating, we were both full, content but not bloated, and too ready to hit the beach. Banana Blossom has left a really good impression on both of us. It’s fresh, tasty, affordable and showcases fusion flavours done well. We definitely need more branches across Sydney as I want a takeaway for my work lunch! The next time you visit Bondi Beach, be sure to wander off Hall Street to try this little gem for your lunch fix.
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Banana Blossom
Banana Blossom Bondi Beach
18/2a Jaques Avenue, Bondi 2026
This sounds like a good way to make salads actually taste good 😛
It is!!! Tasty and healthy at the same time 😀
I love a hearty salad with some noodles in it – it actually keeps you full! Most veggie-only salads leave me feeling hungry again two hours later.