Every now and then, I find a restaurant that reminds me of why I love to go out to eat. It's the surprise of finding great food with good people, and flavors that you either have never had or haven't had in years. This was our experience at Pandan Room in Hackettstown, NJ.
Hackettstown is somewhat out of the way, at least for us, but not that far if you want to find a small town with some surprises in store. Hackettstown has always been somewhat the butt of the joke, a la Hackerstown, but like every good main street, you find some great stuff amongst some of the depressed. I like my towns and cities with variety, and other than having some friends that live in the area, I hadn't really been to Hackettstown for anything other than a psychic reading...when I was 16. Let's just say that was a long, long time ago!
Main Street at night was absolutely cute. I don't think anyone remembered to take down the lights from Christmas, but there was something ethereal about the glow on the street. I took a look as we drove through and saw an ice cream shop and other mom and pop shops that I would have liked to visit. As we pulled up to Pandan Room, I was surprised! It was pretty much a house, with more Christmas lights. Parking was around the corner, so we pulled in and took a short walk to the restaurant. Inside looked smaller than the outside, but the brightly colored walls with Thai and Indonesian decor seemed appropriate and represented what the food I would later discover tasted like...bright and unique.
There was about 11 people in our party, and our table was all ready as the ever friendly host/owner greeted us. We were seated quickly, handed the specials, and the waitress worked her magic. Even though there were so many of us, chaos never ensued. She expertly took our orders and within minutes, our appetizers were there. I was amazed. The only disappointing part of my meal was the Thai iced tea. I'm used to it being sweet and slightly thick. This was watery and needed sugar. I didn't complain though, and kind of enjoyed not worrying about the heaviness that usually accompanies the drink. We ordered the assorted spring rolls appetizer, and at only $6.99, we got two of each of three types of spring rolls. The others in our party each ordered the other two assorted appetizers on the menu, and I didn't hear any complaints!
Soon after the waitress cleared our dishes from our appetizers, our dinners arrived. Dishes were colorful and interesting, and smelled divine. Everyone was satisfied, from the harcore Thai food lovers who ordered traditional-ish curry dishes, to the newcomers who ordered the filet mignon. I ordered the Masaman Duck special, and I was blown away. The curry was light, the veggies tender but slightly crunchy, and the duck was some of the best I've ever had...tender and moist, crispy skin. The jasmine rice topped off the dish, and it was the perfect harmony. Most Thai dishes give me a little stomach upset, and I was thrilled when later on I experienced no difficulty whatsoever!
Other dishes included Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp with a peanut and coconut milk based sauce and jasmin rice, a rabbit stew special, chicken curry, and other traditional dishes. Looking at the menu, you might question such things as the Asiago burger. Where the hell did that come from? And the "Thaiella", a Thai spin on Paella...I might try that the next time. Since I sat so close to the kitchen, I kept turning my head to see what they were putting up next and was always craning my neck to see what was what.
Surprisngly, the bill didn't make me want to cry (as it did the other night after dining at the Mohawk House in Sparta...okay food but not for what they're charging!). We were all fully satisfied and wanted to eat more...I had to ask the server to take it away from me because I really felt as though I was going to commit foodie suicide.
I would absolutely come back and recommend this restaurant, for the Thai lover and novices alike, everyone will be pleased at this quaint but stylish little place that I will now be raving about to all who will listen! To see the menu for yourself, visit pandanroom.com. Hackettstown, here I come!
Food: *****
Ambience: *****
Service: *****
Overall: *****
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