Banana Tree brings flavours of Indochina to Soho

This August the chef proprietor of Banana Tree, William Chow will bring accessible Indochinese cuisine into the heart of Soho when he opens his sixth and flagship London site (103 Wardour Street, W1F 0UQ). 

Since opening the first Banana Tree restaurant over twenty years ago in West London,  Chow has stayed true to his aim of serving great quality Oriental food at affordable prices in stylish and informal surroundings.   He has gradually added more restaurants to the group and now with this sixth and most ambitious opening in one of the popular locations in London, the Banana Tree family has come of age.

At the heart of Banana Tree is Chow’s passion for Indochinese food, which he interprets as cuisine drawn from various countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia that are linked by a common use of core herbs and spices such as lemongrass, thai basil, galangal, fresh mint and coriander.  A Malaysian by birth, Chow has travelled extensively around the region over the last two decades refining his menu, sourcing recipes and the ingredients which help create the layers of flavour in every dish.

The diverse menu will include a selection of regional specialities, from the fresh flavours of the Mekong region to the refined cuisine of the Peranakan people, the Chinese migrants, to Malaysia and Singapore. Diners can choose from popular dishes like Phad Thai Noodles and Ying Yang Laksa Soup, alongside less well-known specialities such as Grilled Pork Bakkwa, Malaysian Beef Rendang or Tamarind Crispy Fish with Papaya Salad.        

William Chow was a practising architect who left his profession to pursue his love of food and cooking. His training was not in vain though, and as well as being the main architect for the existing restaurants, he has also been personally overseeing the design and feel of the new branch. Based on the concept of “market-style, back home” eating, the Soho flagship store will bring a cutting-edge design to this London crowd with a mixture of different seating options including bespoke benches, chairs and stool seating.

Chow comments; “Soho is a fantastic and flourishing dining destination so I am really excited that our next site will be located here. The multicultural melange that is Soho provides a perfect platform for the start of a new culinary journey and I look forward to sharing Banana Tree, which I hope people will come to regard as the home of Indochina food, to the heart of the town.”

Banana Tree is fast becoming the capital’s most popular destination to sample the flavours from this region of the world.  The opening of this flagship site marks the beginning of the next exciting stage in the life of Banana Tree.

For more information, visit: bananatree.co.uk