Pandan Paradise

Some call pandan the 'Asian vanilla' but it's so much more than that. Pandan leaves are used heaps in Southeast Asian cooking (mainly in rice dishes and desserts), and its distinct kind of floral aroma comes from the same compound that's found in white bread, jasmine rice and basmati rice. It's like, you know it smells delicious but you can't quite put your finger on why exactly. If you haven't tried it yet, here are some pandan desserts to get you started (or if you're a pandan enthusiast, see how many of these you've sampled already!).   

VIC

Nelayan — 265 Swanston St, CBD 

The best kept secret in Melbourne CBD, Nelayan is a no-fuss Indonesian restaurant where $10 will get you rice and three delicious options from the buffet. They also do awesome sweets, including three rolls of kuih dadar (pandan pancakes with coconut filling) for $3.

Agathe Patisserie — South Melbourne Market/Prahran Market

Agathe Patisserie might be French, but they make a mean pandan croissant (as well as heaps of other flavoured croissants, too). The buttery layers of pastry and the fragrant pandan flavour are just dreamy together.

Magic Mountain Saloon — 62 Lt Collins St, CBD

Wanting a sweet brekky? Check out Magic Mountain Saloon's spread, which includes fairy toast with pandan and coconut cream. You're an adult so you can do what you want. 

Sugar Prawn — 230 Smith St, Fitzroy

Another breakfast option: pandan sago pudding with black sesame, seasonal fruits and a side of rose syrup at the fairly new Malaysian modern hawker restaurant Sugar Prawn.

Luxbite — 38 Toorak Rd, South Yarra 

If you're still trying to get your head around the pandan taste, a macaron could ease you into it. Luxbite's one is made with fresh pandan infused coconut cream and white chocolate filling, and enhanced with pink salt. 

Shakahari Too — 225 Clarendon St, South Melbourne

Shakahari Too is famous for its nutritious and tasty vegetarian/vegan pan-Asian fare — and you'd do well to finish off a meal there with their kueh sago dessert: steamed pearl sago, thread coconut, and palm sugar in a cake pudding, served with pandan coconut cream sauce.

NSW

Green Peppercorn — 1 Hamilton Rd, Fairfield 

It's a twist on the classic creme brulee: the pandan creme brulee. It's a subtle twist but you'll probably be marvelling over it for days.

Albee's Kitchen — 420 Kingsford Pde, Kingsford

One of their popular dishes is actually Pandan Chicken (chicken marinated in pandan sauce and served wrapped in a pandan leaf), and they have a range of Malaysian sweets such as talam cake (coconut and pandan layered cake).

Thanon Khaosan — 413 Pitt St, Haymarket

It's a Thai dessert dream over here — there are so many options on the hawker cart display. Among their delights is coconut jelly wrapped in pandan leaf, and pandan taro balls.   

House Thai — 202 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills

If you want a DESSERT dessert, here's where it's at. It's called BTS (Better Than Sex) and it consists of toasted brioche served with pandan coconut gelato topped with Thai caramel sauce and sprinkled with roasted black and white sesame seeds. Oof. One to share for sure.

Chat Thai Thaitown — 20 Campbell St, Haymarket

Khanom chan is an ancient Thai dessert. It's a steamed multi-layered firm pudding made from pandan and coconut milk, and Chat Thai Thaitown will have one for you if you're lucky (it's subject to availability).

Ms G's — 155 Victoria St, Potts Point

If you're new to pandan but you like a hint of it, Ms G's Tropical Passion dessert could be the thing you're looking for: it's lime custard, tropical fruits, chocolate coconut soil, pandan meringue and coconut sorbet. 

Alice's Makan — 580 George St, Sydney

Alice's Makan has a huge menu of rotating Malaysian bite-sized sweets (kuih), including the kuih serimuka (coconut cream sticky rice topped with pandan and coconut custard), lapis (coconut and pandan flavoured rainbow layers), talam (smooth sweet pandan topped with salted coconut cream), and dadar (rolled pandan pancake with coconut filling). Insert crying and prayer hands emojis here as you see fit.