Needing to grab a quick but filling bite to eat before heading to the Playhouse for a show, my companion and I decided to visit Banana Tree on George Street. Banana Tree advertises itself as a staple of pan-Asian cuisine, and the menu seemed to have plenty of variety, so we thought we'd give it a try.

We arrived in the early evening, so were seated quickly by the friendly staff. It being a very sunny day, we decided cocktails were in order, a choice helped by the fact that Banana Tree were running their regular Happy Hour, with a two-for-one offer on all cocktails on their menu. We chose the watermelon margarita - while it would have been nice to have the option of choosing different drinks as part of the two-for-one offer, the margarita was refreshing with a pleasant citrusy taste, the ideal drink for a warm day.

Turning to the menu, we found we had a wide range of options. Banana Tree caters for all tastes and dietary needs, and it was clear that the restaurant was making a particular effort to give a variety of choices to vegetarian and vegan customers, with the option to swap meat substitutes into many of the dishes. My friend chose the tamarind spicy aubergine with egg-fried rice, while I wanted to see Banana Tree's take on a favourite of mine, chicken Pad Thai. We also decided to split a serving of the intriguing-sounding sweetcorn fritter balls for a starter.

The service was friendly, and our starter and cocktails arrived quickly (the tap water we'd also requested took a little longer to arrive, but this was a minor issue that our waitress soon resolved). The sweetcorn fritter balls were very moreish, with a pleasant crunchy texture - while there wasn't a large amount of sweetcorn apparent in the fritters, they were a great appetiser, and the dipping mayonnaise that came with them was delicious, with a savoury, spicy flavour.

Our main courses arrived soon after we'd finished our starter. My Pad Thai was in a semi-deconstructed form, with an instruction card that advised me to mix it together to get the best of all the flavours and textures - while this initially seemed a bit odd, this serving technique preserved the beansprouts' crunch. There was a generous amount of chicken and crushed peanut, and the dish was hearty and satisfying. My companion's tamarind aubergine was very rich, with a well-blended medley of flavours.

The atmosphere in Banana Tree was informal and friendly, with fun, vibrant decor (including several toy orangutans hanging from the ceiling). The staff were attentive, and the prices were very reasonable, coming to around £37 for two people - not bad for two courses and a couple of cocktails. If you're a fan of fresh, flavourful food with a kick of spice, and find yourself on George Street with a short time to spare, Banana Tree is a great choice.

Sandwiched between Zizzis and the Opium Den, across the street from the Old Fire Station, Banana Tree is the latest culinary chain restaurant arrival in George Street. Billed as a healthy 'Indochina kitchen', the menu contains extensive treats from Southeast Asia. The founder and head chef, William Chow, opened his first 36 seater Indo-Chinese cafe in West London 21 years ago. The cafe was born out of the his great passion for the intermingling of common herbs and spices throughout Southeast Asia. He brings this passion to this latest sit-down restaurant chain in Oxford.

Having decided to catch a late showing of Carol across the street, at the Odeon, my husband and I found ourselves with enough time to eat out. We stumbled into Banana Tree to try something new, and started with a sharing platter of five Kajang Satay Sticks. The peanut sauce was heavenly, and we enjoyed uncurling the palm leaf covered sticky rice which accompanied the Malaysian barbecued chicken sticks which transported me to Penang.

For the mains, I devoured The Banana Tree Laksa, rice noodles topped with the house special spiced coconut broth with aubergine, tofu, and bean sprouts. It was generously garnished with coriander and crispy shallots. It's available with chicken, coriander meatballs, or prawns, but I asked for extra tofu. A little red 'spice' symbol on the menu had warned that it was hot, but aside from a gorgeous background warmth, I didn't find the dish overwhelmingly spicy at all. The Laksa was a large bowl of lusciously deep goodness, the vegetables were fresh and abundant, and the flavours and textures perfectly balanced.

My husband had The Legendary Rendang, a famous speciality from the Minangkabau Hill tribe of Indonesia, available either in the original beef or experimental chicken. My husband ordered the beef. What arrived was an intense slow cooked, dry and fragrant curry, incredibly rich in flavour and containing complex twists in flavours. He added the house combo to his dish, so it was accompanied with an Indo house salad, crushed nuts, pakora-like sweet corn cakes, and aromatic rice. I couldn't resist leaning over to try it. Although I would have preferred it with fresh roti rather than rice, it was superbly intense. We ended with the Coconut stuffed Green Thai Pancakes, filled with a delectable creamy surprise.

Five satay sticks came to £6.95. We have already tempted friends to join us for the 10 stick (£13.45) sharing platter in the New Year. The beef Legendary Rendang was £10.95, and the Laksa £9.50. An upgrade to the house combo comes in at £3.95, but is well worth it.

The service was a little slow, but the staff were keen and eager to impress. The back of the restaurant was cleverly designed to include elevated seating, creating the optical illusion that diners were sitting crossed legged, while in fact having their legs disappear into a dipped space. The decor is simple, but the food delectably deep and complex. I would highly recommend Banana Tree, and am looking forward to welcoming in 2016 having planned to return in the New Year.