Pandan Leaf — Restaurant in Houston

Update: so good we came back again and food remains delicious. This time we had the Laksa, salted egg fried tofu, and got the Capitain flat noodles again. So. Good!

Came here on a Saturday night and was surprised by a quiet restaurant. Our first impression was a cozy restaurant with hole in the wall vibes.

We were quickly seated and handed menus with a number of Malaysian staples. Everything looked delicious, but we decided on a roti appetizer, fried salted the pumpkin, Tom yum noodle soup, Capitain flat noodles, Malaysian style water spinach, and the beef brisket casserole.

The roti and fried pumpkin came out first, and they were a great start to the meal. The roti was perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The accompanying curry dip was simple yet full flavored. The fried pumpkin was also perfectly fried and the salted egg flavor that's a part of the batter made it super yummy.

Everything we ordered were great, but the stand outs were the Capitain flat noodles. It was perfectly sauced with this umami brown gravy and included broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp, squid, and chicken. It was a complete meal in one dish.

The water spinach was also fresh with tossed in a blend of garlic and spices. That, along with the curry beef brisket casserole went so well with white rice.

The portions were also large and we took a a bit of everything home. The only dish we were able to finish was the Tom yum soup, which also had a variety of seafood and veggies in it. Not too spicy, not too sour, just right.

We will definitely come back and try other things on the menu, but the one thing we'll order time and again is the Capitain flat noodles. Definitely one of the more unique but also tasty version of flat noodle stir fry. Our waiter was super attentive and courteous, while the manager/owner came by to check on us several times. Come eat some authentic Malaysian food and support a...

Very good place to indulge in Malaysian Food.

I ordered quite a bit for just two people:

Roti Canai While not the standout dish of our meal, I thought it would be a good starting point. The roti arrived piping hot, featuring a flaky, crispy exterior with a pillowy interior upon tearing. The dipping sauce was delightful as well.

Pandan Leaf Nasi Lemak The rice was incredibly fragrant with coconut! This dish had an amazing variety of textures and flavors that complemented and balanced each other perfectly. Every bite was a different experience! I highly recommend this for a quick lunch; it’s a dish best enjoyed solo!

Water Spinach This dish truly impressed my mom, and she is tough to please! 😳 It’s similar to the Vietnamese dish rau muống xào tỏi, but with added complexity from the Sambal Belacan. Very flavorful—if you enjoy the umami flavor of shrimp paste, this dish is calling your name!

Singapore Spicy Crab An absolute showstopper! This is a dish to impress (definitely too messy for a date, LOL). The waiter even showed us the massive crab we were about to indulge in before cooking, which is always a good sign. A good crab should be plump and flaky (not stringy), and the sauce slathered on top was heavenly! I would describe it as a combination of thick egg drop soup and sweet chili sauce. It was so delicious that we even enjoyed it with rice—truly a testament to no waste left behind!

Final Thoughts: I might have to add this place to my rotation for my monthly trips to Houston! 🤣 No gatekeeping here; I’m all for supporting small businesses!

If you’ve never tried Malaysian food before, you’re truly...

My friend wanted to try this new restaurant, and here we are. We were greeted warmly by the owner, and we appreciated their hospitality. The restaurant interior was simple.

There are standard dishes that I would order when I am in a zi char kind of place. We got the chicken satay, beef fried rice, sizzling bean curd, Kang Kong, mee goreng, and the clay pot stir fried pearl noodle. All the food was delicious.

I was utterly surprised that they have lao shu fen (aka pearl noodle)! I grew up eating that Cantonese style. The stir fried pearl noodle was really good. It wasn’t dry like I thought it would be. Rather it was in a pot of soup-gravy. I loved the sauce for the satay. It wasn’t really the peanut sauce I ate growing up, but it was still good and it had a little kick to it.

The Kang Kong was just how I liked it - just a little spiciness. I believe they would be able to increase the spice level if you want. The mee goreng had authentic flavor, and was a little spicy. The sizzling tofu was cooked well.

I would be back again to try other dishes for sure. Parking was easy-breezy...