Le Colonial
Enjoy being transported into a tropical French oasis in Vietnam during the 1920's. The building was originally the legendary Trader Vic's, which closed in 1994. It was then transformed into this current paradise featuring mosaic-like tile flooring, a vaulted, pressed-tin ceiling, tropical plants and plush rattan furniture, all accented by the glow of candlelight. Tucked away in an alley, you pull up to one of the only restaurants in the city that has Valet parking right in front of the building. Located in the Historic Theater District the entrance to the alley is hard to miss with the classic neon blue shining brightly.
Le Colonial relies on its cultural heritage and formal culinary training to turn out consistently popular cuisine in a swanky throwback to the French colonial era in Vietnam. Love the outdoor patio and the cinematic interior design, even though it's a cookie-cutter of the Le Colonials in LA and NYC. Over cool cocktails and well-chosen wines, we recently enjoyed excellent service (only a shellfish fork missing here and there - nothing to freak out about) and frankly, pretty fabulous food. Of course, raw oysters with a minted ginger granita are a long-time favorite, and happily still on the menu. The sizable cold salad of shaved banana blossoms, prawns, peanuts and ginger may satisfy more than stun... the butter-tender lamb chops with toasted peanuts, scallion oil and peppered lime sauce had us lolling about in a meat-induced ecstasy.
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