It's easy to forget all about Le Colonial, the French-Vietnamese restaurant with a locations in San Francisco, New York and Chicago.
But when Rubicon rudely gave away our dinner reservation mere minutes after our party of five was delayed, it was Le Colonial who rescued this very important client dinner.
The vibe at Le Colonial is tropically sexy -- you just FEEL warm and fuzzy when you're sitting in the upstairs lounge with one of their incredible Hendricks Gin cocktails. Service is always competent, though sometimes a little bit slow, and the staff are almost uniformly friendly. That's a hard thing to count on in this city.
Our dinner on Monday night included an incredible appetizer of Banh Cuon ($9), tender rice noodles wrapped around a filling of chicken, mushrooms and scallions. I'm still thinking about this one a few days later, and can only compare it to a lighter, more flavorful version of Chow Fun.
While I typically order Bo Luc Lac when we go out for Vietnamese, I found myself changing my mind at the last minute to Cuu Nuong ($38) after smelling the one that arrived at the next table over. While the meat was exceptional, overall the dish was a little bit on the sweet side for me. That said, the accompanying mint & apple salad was amazing. We also ordered a side for the table, Mien Xao Cua ($13) -- glass noodles, dungeness, egg -- which we polished off quickly, despite all being incredibly full.
I'm not sure why it's so easy to write off and forget about a restaurant that opens additional locations -- perhaps it's a bit of foodie bias. But I can't say that I've ever had a less-than-great meal or poor service at Le Colonial, although I'd absolutely admit to the fact that it's somewhat overpriced. Still, it's a great place for out-of-towners, girls-night dinner, or a naughty cocktail with your beloved in their lounge.
Le Colonial
20 Cosmo Place
San Francisco, CA
415.931.3600
Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Restaurant Review, New York, San Francisco, Vietnamese, Le Colonial, Restaurant
