Pandan Village
406 Broad Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 748-9997
www.pandanaisiancuisine.com
DJKung and I cannot believe that throughout this time, we have never featured Pandan Village on UFC. Pandan serves great Filipino food in a very cozy corner restaurant in Bloomfield. Over the years, its kitchen has become more adept and has expanded its menu.
Pandan is especially great for certain types of home cooking that you'd just never make at home, either because of the effort involved or the kitchen smells that only industrial-strenghth vents can get rid of.
We were here recently with a big get-together with friends, so I think the pictures that follow are a good representation of the main hit items on Pandan's menu.
For apps, we ordered goi cuon, tom sum salad and savory mussels.
Goi cuon (fresh shrimp roll). It is pretty good, with tender shrimp and lots of rice noodles. I find that I miss the little bit of mint and scallion that comes with the Vietnamese-style goi cuon. The sauce is your basic hoisin sauce, sprinkled with peanuts. Personally, I like having both the peanut sauce and the hoisin sauce, so I can alternate between the two.
Tom sum salad. This comes with shredded green mango, green papaya and carrots. The sauce (lime juice) was bit bland, and not at all spicy. Overall, quite a pale version of the Thai green papaya salad.
Savory mussels. Mussels in the half shell with a black bean sauce. This was pretty hearty, and can be a meal with some white rice. It was with the main dishes that Pandan Village really shines.
I think this is the Pandan fried rice. The technique is definitely not Filipino-style, and actually comes closer to Thai-style fried rice, which is sweetish and savory. It came with chunks of pork and chicken, and bits of chinese broccoli. Very balanced and deelish.
Kare-kare, or oxtails in coconut milk-and-peanut sauce. It comes with eggplants and bok choy. Typically eaten with rice and sauteed shrimp paste (called bagoong). I love how picture-perfect it came out. This dish is especially time-consuming to prepare at home, and you'd only find it served during special events.
Laing, or taro leaves cooked in coconut milk. Frankly, this dish always seemed quite repellent to me, on par with eating other mushy-type veggies (snake gourds, in particular). The consistency is also very, umm, mushy. I tried it for the first time this day, and it was not bad at all. The taro leaves don't seem to have much of a flavor (DJKung thinks it's bitter), despite its dark goopy appearance.
Grilled pork belly. Served with lechon sauce and a vinegar-and-spice dip. Sighs of rapture were heard all around the table as these babies were devoured.
Yum.
Sizzling pusit (squid). I did not get to try this one, but it smelled divine.
Roast duck with rice and mango-green papaya salad. The duck skin was crispy and the meat quite succulent.
I think this was midway through the meal.
For dessert, DJKung and I got the halo-halo. Halo-halo is shaved ice over fruit preserves, coconut, red bean. . . it literally stands for a mix of different things. This is the all-time summer snack/dessert in Philippine cuisine. This one had some ice cream and flan on top. I think it could've used a greater variety of preserves. But it was ok, nevertheless. 
Ube (purple yam) ice cream. I think this is a commercial Philippine brand. 
Sansrival. Crispy meringue with a butter cream frosting, topped with toasted cashew nuts. With the right preparation, the meringue comes out very light and wafer-y, and just melts in your mouth. Pandan's version was a bit soggy.Pandan is really great for small to medium sized groups, because the menu does have a lot to offer. It is open for lunch and dinner and has very reasonable lunch specials. Pandan is also BYOB, which is great for diners on a budget.
