The late and lamented Zuxuz (the passing lamented at least by me) on Harvard Street just south of Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner has been replaced by Pandan Leaf, a Malaysian restaurant. A group of four of us tried it one recent Sunday evening at around eight o'clock, and had to wait fifteen minutes for a table, a sign of just how well an exotic cuisine can do in a place like Coolidge Corner. Short summary: very impressive food, very well prepared. Our group started with a couple of appetizers: roti canai ($3.25), a thin Indian-style break served with a peanut-flavored dipping sauce, and Malaysian golden udang ($6.95), heavily battered shrimp served with a bizarre sauce that resembled nothing so much as mayonnaise mixed with ketchup. This was the only wrong note in the meal. The roti were superb, though I wouldn't recommend them for a take-out order, as they were very fragile and probably wouldn't taste good if they were lukewarm. The spiciest entree we tried was beef rendang ($9.75), chunks of beef in a subtly-flavored sauce that only gradually became too hot to handle. Another winner was sotong goreng ($10.95), stir-fried squid in a chili-flavored sauce. Though both of these dishes were marked spicy on the menu, the squid was nowhere near as incendiary as the beef. You might ask your waiter for guidance if you are trying to avoid the hottest dishes. Mango chicken ($11.50) was served in a mango half, and was a big hit with some at the table. I wasn't crazy about it, and suspect that it might have been more to my liking had we tried it with shrimp instead ($13.95). Perhaps the problem is that sweet entrees generally don't appeal to me. And finally, spicy eggplant with garlic sauce ($8.50) was as advertised, and very enjoyable.--Rob
Boston, MA