In 2006, the readers of That’s PRD magazine awarded Pandan Indonesian the top prize for curry, and the certificate is still displayed prominently in the front entrance of its Huanshi Dong restaurant.

Does it still deserve the title? The Nanfang went to find out.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere can only be described as comfortably rustic. The wooden exterior is promising and stands out on the main road. The interior is dark wood and initially leaves a little to be desired; but, as time goes on, the darkness feels less cold and more romantic or intimate. The restaurant gives the impression of being Indonesian, but the interior also reminds one of a kitchen in the Italian countryside. Overall, the atmosphere is comfortable and inviting.

The Service and Staff
The staff are quick and attentive.  If you raise your hand or shout ‘Fuwuyuan!’, the waiting staff spring into action. After ordering, it takes some time for the food to arrive at your table; but, the impression is that it is being cooked fresh to order.  This gives one time to talk to your dinner companions, relax and enjoy the experience.

The Taste Test

We ordered the spring rolls, fried bread and curry. Once they arrived, it became evident that these dishes were meant for sharing.

Once stripping the meat off the bone, the Gule Kambing was an exceptional dish. It looked far better as a dish in front of me than it did on the menu, and it tasted as one would hope. Eating the curry, however, was more difficult than expected because of the bones that were in it. Some effort was required to strip off the meat without making a mess; I was unsuccessful in this, and I ended up flicking curry all over the table.

The grilled bread was perfect to soak up the curry leftovers.  The bread – which was like a drier, deflated and crunchier pizza base – was filling, and another diner would have been helpful to tackle the amount of food that was served.

Final Thoughts

The Nanfang left this Indonesian eatery thinking we’d ordered far too much and were struggling to make it out of the door. Despite the overeating, however, we certainly enjoyed every minute. We believe that Pandan Indonesian certainly deserves its award-winning status,

despite our annoyance with the bones in the curry. It offers good food at a reasonable price, and is still an obviously popular dining hotspot.

Overall rating

3.5 out of 5 forks

Price

Lumpia Goreng Vege (Fried vegetable spring rolls): 17 yuan

Gule Kambing (Lamb-based curry): 36 yuan

Nasi Kuning (Tumeric rice): 7 yuan
Nasi Uduk (Coconut milk rice): 6 yuan
Roti Panggang (Bread): 12 yuan.

Total price: 78 yuan

Address
A 16-19, Dong Du Bldg, 475 Huanshi Donglu, Yuexiu District
环市东路东都大世界A区16－19号

Telephone number

020-8760-5258

You can get more information on Pandan Indonesian on The Nanfang here.