Le Bleu — Restaurant in Austin

Our first experience at Le Bleu confirms that the kitchen here offers very traditional flavors and fresh ingredients, but also falters a bit with its pho. The baby octopus skewers were nicely marinated and cooked perfectly, served with herbs and cucumbers on the side. Definitely having that again next time. Their mango/papaya salad impressed in every way, with the mango adding a pleasant but not overbearing sweetness. My date enjoyed a Lemongrass tofu Bahn Mi that she rated a 9 out of 10. With the addition of avocado, the cost came to $13, which is slightly high for tofu and veggies. I had the Pho Bo for $18. I would not order it again, nor recommend it. It wasn't bad, but it pales in comparison to the pho I've enjoyed elsewhere for $13 or at most $15. This rendering has several slices of fairly dry brisket and one quartered meatball, plus noodles, bean sprouts, onions and cilantro. The broth is good, but lacking the spices that are well integrated at places like 888 or Pho Please, and also a bit sweet. We definitely plan to return for their dinner options only available after 5 pm. As for service, I will say that I was unimpressed, as we visited in the later part of the afternoon, and the only other table was leaving as we were seated. Our server did not write down our simple order and proceeded to return to the table on two occasions to ask what we ordered. I also requested chopsticks, which she brought at least 10 minutes later, apologizing by saying she got "sidetracked. We will return to revisit favorite dishes and try new ones, with hopefully a more professional server...

I came here for a late lunch. It wasn’t very crowded, which is what I was looking for. The service has been excellent. I was seated immediately, and my waitress was very helpful about my questions about gluten free options. She would go ask if she didn’t know. I was definitely comfortable ordering. I tried the lemongrass margarita, spring rolls, shrimp bún (vermicelli noodles), and sipped on the passion fruit maitai for after my meal. The food came out fairly quickly, and all of it was delicious! The peanut sauce was straightforward and really well balanced for me. Sometimes peanut sauces aren’t gluten free, so I was glad to be able to eat it. The margarita was good, but I couldn’t taste the lemongrass, I may ask for them to put a little more of the lemongrass syrup in next time. The shrimp bún was exactly what I wanted! The shrimp was lightly breaded, and the whole dish was fresh and crunchy (except for the noodles), it really hit the spot. I love the mint in it.. I decided to get the passion fruit maitai after my meal, and it’s a lovely finisher.. the flavor was impressive, lots of stuff going on. There’s muddled blueberries in it. I definitely want my friends to try it when I bring them. My waitress was attentive, but not overly so. I never had to wait for anything, and she didn’t come by very often. Just the right amount of attention, imo.

It’s calm, the music wasn’t too loud, and I love the decor! All the colors, and the wall art looks like it was made of scrap wood. Who doesn’t love seeing new life from old materials?

I’ll be coming...

The interior has a cool vibe to it. There's a few booths, but most of the place is just a few long tables with chairs on each side. It's great to meet people that way. When I went I got the chicken banh mi sandwich and the fried egg rolls. The egg rolls were average, but the sauce they came with made them above average. The egg rolls were crispy and flaky, and the filling was tasty, but it looked like mush. The bahn mi was tasty. The bread had lots of flavor, so did the veggies in it (carrots, jalapeños, cilantro). The chicken thighs were perfectly cooked, but they were a little too sweet for me. Also, the chicken thighs were in large pieces, so when biting into the banh mi, I'd end up pulling some of the fillings out instead of getting a clean bite. All in all, these are minor complaints.

I am willing to go back and try some of the other dishes. They have bun as well, so it's something to try. I heard lots of customers give compliments on the butter shrimp bun. (It's on my list to try next time I got back!)

The service was fast given that you know everything is being made to order. And the hostess came by to ask if everything was okay or not. My friend and I...