miss iggy at pandan restaurant

jersey iggy finally found herself in this much talked-about filipino restaurant in bloomfield, new jersey: pandan asian cuisine.

after seeing anthony bourdain indulge in filipino foods in his show's recent philippine episode (watch the entire episode in 5 parts on youtube!), she ordered sizzling "sisig" (a dish born in the province of pampanga) which was featured in said travel channel show.

it was a generous serving on a sizzling plate, but the sizzle didn't last long enough to thoroughly cook the egg yolk dropped in the middle. result: the dish had a slight soupy texture from the melted egg yolk, but the flavor was still unmistakably "sisig."

jersey iggy also ordered one of its "house specials," the "marinated chicken in pandanus leaves." it's essentially boneless chicken marinated with a "flavorful mixture and wrapped with pandanus leaves and served with sweet and sour chili sauce." see how the pandan strips tied around the chicken make it look like a giant sushi? miss iggy liked the yellow new york city-themed plate it was served on.

it was a no-brainer. the place was called "pandan" so she ordered something pandan-esque, hence this choice. the restaurant did not focus strictly on filipino food, as it also offers other asian dishes the way anita's asian fusion does.

miss iggy liked the ambient atmosphere: the warm hues of the restaurant's interior, the native chairs and even the "banig" (woven mat) material covering the bottom part of the walls.

the waitress who served miss iggy's table was very nice, and even shared her thoughts on "slumdog millionaire" when she overheard us discussing the film.

it's quite a drive getting to this place, though, almost 40 minutes. but once inside, it's a welcoming place to be. pandan restaurant is at 406 broad st., bloomfield, NJ 07003. street parking is limited, but there is a small public parking space nearby.