Restaurant Review: Gold Coast’s Le Colonial brings elegance, Vietnamese cuisine to Chicago
According to the Sorbonne Universite’s Ehne Encyclopedia, Saigon in the 1920’s was a French Singapore, with clean, tree-lined streets, glamorous shops, and a distinct European atmosphere.
On Chicago’s Gold Coast, Le Colonial, 57 E. Oak Street, captures the elegance of old Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), down to swaying palm trees and its surrounding elegant shops like Marc Jacobs and Chanel, and pricey row houses.
Now celebrating 30 years at that location, Le Colonial has built an estimable reputation based on the quality of its cuisine and the elegance of its surroundings. The expansive terrace, open all year round, offers stunning views of bustling Oak Street.
Executive Chef and partner Quoc Luong features traditional Vietnamese recipes alongside contemporary takes on classic dishes. Start with shared small plates like Chao Tom, aka,SHRIMP ON SUGAR CANE… grilled shrimp wrapped around sugar cane, with rice noodles, mint, cilantro, lettuce, served with a peanut plum dipping sauce. Cha Gio, or CRISPY SHRIMP & PORK ROLL, packs gulf shrimp, pork, Asian mushrooms, mint, and cilantro in a tasty chili lime dipping sauce. Cha Gio Chay is a CRISPY VEGETABLE ROLL with taro root, bean threads, asian mushrooms, and aromatic herbs, served with a ginger soy dipping sauce.
Follow the small plates with soups and salads like Sup Ga Cay, or SPICY CHICKEN SOUP, made with an Amish Farm chicken breast, shiitake & shimeji mushrooms, scallion, cilantro, in a spicy coconut broth. Goi Ngo Sen, aka LOTUS ROOT SALAD, has prawns, lotus roots, crispy pickled vegetables, Vietnamese herbs, fried shallots, toasted peanuts, and a tangy spicy dressing. Goi Cu Cai Do is a BEET SALAD , made with Heirloom beets, paired with soy, ginger, avocado wasabi, and pistachio, served with a yuca crisp.
Save room for their signature dish, known as Ca Chien Saigon. Le Colonial‘s CRISPY RED SNAPPER is a whole red snapper, in a spicy garlic glaze.
Other entrees of note are their Ca Hoi Nuong, or ROASTED SALMON, a miso-glazed Scottish salmon with shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, coconut lobster broth, and annato oil. Ca Chim is a SEABASS WITH “LA VONG” SCENT, seabass, wok tossed fennel, lemongrass, red onion, garlic, Thai basil, dill, banh hoi, mustard seed, and toasted peanuts in a buttery lime au jus. Tom Xao Sate, or SPICY SHRIMP STIR-FRY pairs Gulf Shrimp with asparagus, onions, bell peppers, and scallions, in a spicy chili oil.
We’re not done yet! Where appropriate, we always say, “Leave room for dessert!” Here, we say you should try their Golden Saigon, a delicate mango mousse layered with makrut lime curd, coconut crunch, and vanilla sablé breton. Or, try a Pandan Noir, Oolong tea with toasted black sesame japonaise, praline, pandan, and a sesame nougatine crisp. Warm Chocolate Cake is made with Valrhona Guanaja Dark Chocolate, and served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate streusel, and served in a blazing flambée of rum.
Mine is not the only positive review
“Excellent experience from top to bottom every single time,” said one Google reviewer. “Truly what I would consider the best restaurant in Chicago.”
“In a city that is steak, potatoes, and beer dominant, “ they continued. “Le Colonial is a breath of fresh air. I have been around 5 times now, for lunch as well as dinner, and every visit the service and food have been 10/10. The crunchy spring rolls are quite literally my electric chair meal. The mocktails are divine. I am vegan and they do an incredible tofu version of both curries which are heavenly. The pickled mango beet salad is very refreshing as are the fresh rolls. The service is attentive and always friendly. The atmosphere is so warm and happy, I love the decor. I do not live in Chicago but visit about 2 times a year and visiting Le Colonial is always the night I look forward to the most.”
They are open Monday – Thursday, 12pm-10pm, Friday from 12pm-11pm, Saturday from 11:30am-11pm, and Sunday from 11:30am-10pm. They “politely request” refined dinner attire. For further guidance, I am including their complete dress code here.
They are accepting reservations for Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10) and other occasions. For reservations, click here.
Merci!
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
