Gone Bananas Restaurant Review - MediterrAsian; that’s how Gone Bananas describe their cuisine. No, the Bananas’ food fiends aren’t mad, just very creative, and they’ve found a way to concoct a menu that combines the best of the best immigrant flavours. Multiculturalism is a very tasty word in this restaurant. What’s more, the barramundi have wings.

They used to call it Going Bananas and it was cherished by locals as one of their favourite hangouts. These days, having actually gone bananas, it’s a more refined but still popular haunt.

Easy to see why.  Gone Bananas Restaurant is very welcoming and once inside you are cocooned beneath a tropical canopy, like some indoor scene from ‘South Pacific’, minus the pesky marines.

Whilst there are fab pasta dishes, including a lovely yabby spaghetti amongst the entrées, the slant is more Oriental. The beautifully presented nori rolls with local fish is a prime example. They were amongst the tastiest I’ve ever had. Not at all like the stodgy ones I make at home.

From Japan you get airlifted to Thailand via India for a chicken curry that blends the styles of both. It’s a tangy but mild counterpoint to the lighter textures of the other dishes and is hearty and satisfying. Served in an earthenware bowl and accompanied by rice and pappadums it’s a surprisingly filling meal.

Next up, the Asian kafir lime & vanilla bean panacotta; a wonderful, delicate sweet that truly encapsulates the MediterrAsian ethos. It looks and tastes like an Italian delight but with a zing that takes you back to Asia. Very sexy.

Of course, there’s a lot more to GB’s than food. Not only do they serve fabulous dessert cocktails with names like Sex and Marlon Brando but they have a hand picked cellar selection of cracking good wines and champagnes at prices that won’t empty your piggy bank. What’s more, on Monday nights the place becomes a late night haven for locals, and those wines get a severe work over.

However, in closing, I must mention the outrageous rocket & caramelised pear salad with crushed nuts and blue cheese. It’s probably a bit sad to leave a restaurant raving about the salad, but honestly, this was exceptional. If all salad was this good I’d stop exercising.

PS: As for the ‘flying’ barramundi, it’s a signature dish, not a freak of nature. Seriously.

Gone Bananas Restaurant - Port Douglas Australia