Le Colonial Chicago — Restaurant in Chicago

Let me preface this review by saying that I came here with friends and family, some Vietnamese and some not. To say that the food and service were underwhelming is an understatement: It was jading and uninspiring at best.

Food: The serving sizes here are criminally small for the price. We have pretty average appetites, and most of us felt as if we would have eaten twice as much food as we did. Taste-wise, the food is about par with or worse than any mom-and-pop or hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese cafe/restaurant. Most of it tasted good and some were critically under-seasoned. However, you can get larger portions for the same (or better) price and taste elsewhere. I understand that it's meant to be a higher-end establishment, but the food doesn't speak elegance. Also, Vietnamese food is inherently an Asian-French fusion due to Vietnam's history.

Atmosphere: At first glace, we thought that it was a elegant establishment. The tables and chairs were nice. The floor was clean. The layout was well-organized. Upon closer inspection, you'll start to realize that the atmosphere has no clear sense of direction outside of racially insensitive themes. The staff wore traditional Vietmanese ao dai clothing, but there were no Asian staff members. Colonialism in Vietnam represented a time when the French destroyed Vietnam's culture, exploited its resources, and treated its people with disdain. Not to mention the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Vietnamese citizens. And you're going to romanticize that? Do better. Naming this restaurant "Le Colonial" is no better than naming it "Le Confederacy" and setting the atmosphere with the theme of Jim Crow South. Absolutely appalling.

Service: Unsurprisingly mediocre? For some reason, I felt as if the non-Asian half of our group was being treated way better than the Asian half. Doesn't really help the cause, especially when you consider that (1) the restaurant is trying to draw upon Vietnamese culture and (2) the atmosphere reeks of colonialism and discrimination. Am I the only one that saw the pictures of Asians serving white people?

I really wanted to impress my friends/family with this one, but we won't ever be coming back. It honestly reminds me of how Taco Bell sells "Mexican food" for exorbitant prices, or how Panda Express sells "Chinese food". The only difference is that it takes place in a higher-end environment, so nobody bats an eye. Seriously, go elsewhere. Saigon Sisters. Hai Yen. Hai Sous. Sochi Saigon Kitchen....

I must confess, Le Colonial has become my not-so-secret obsession. I've been there a lot and I don't plan on stopping. This place is like a siren calling me back for more, and I surrender gladly.

The food at Le Colonial is like a love affair between France and Vietnam, and I'm just a third wheel in this culinary romance. Their dishes are so unique that I'd bet my last spring roll you won't find them anywhere else. It's like the chefs got together and decided, "You know what would be amazing? Let's combine these two fantastic cuisines and make taste buds all over the world do the cha-cha." And they succeeded! The flavors are so complex and exciting that my taste buds do a conga line every time I take a bite.

Now, let's talk about the interior – it's the kind of place you walk into and immediately wonder if you've accidentally stepped into a time machine set for "Colonial Indochine Elegance." It's like being on the set of an old-school movie, and I half-expect Humphrey Bogart to appear at the bar with a fedora and trench coat. The ambiance is so cool; it's basically the James Bond of restaurants.

But it's not just the food and decor that keep me coming back. The service at Le Colonial is so good; they practically read your mind. I once dropped a napkin, and before I could even contemplate the physics of bending over to pick it up, a server appeared out of nowhere with a fresh one. It's like they have a sixth sense for hospitality – "The Server Sense," if you will.

And the waitstaff is incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. They could probably recite it backwards in their sleep while juggling flaming knives. Not that they do that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did – they're that good.

I can't recommend Le Colonial enough. It's like the best-kept secret that I just can't keep to myself, even though I secretly want to. So, if you're looking for a dining experience that's a perfect blend of fantastic food, a time-travel-worthy interior, and service that's smoother than a silk scarf, look no further. Just promise me you won't become as addicted as I am – I need to make sure there's still room for me at that fabulous...

We ordered vegetarian so our options were limited [and maybe they do much better with their meat dishes]. But I was disappointed with the food. There were no “Vietnamese”flavors. The fried vegetable spring roll just tasted like oil that even the dipping sauce couldn’t overpower. The vegetables in the mixed vegetables were very fresh and healthy but the taste was bland—could have been a Chinese restaurant that wasn’t trying hard. Service was seemingly excellent until it fell flat. One item ordered didn’t get on the order and since it was the rice (Mushroom Sticky Rice), it basically ruined the meal for me. Because it took me awhile to realize that it was not coming and then it took way too long to get noticed by our waitress, I ended up ordering it halfway through the meal but then it took too long to cook—it didn’t show up until the end of the meal—at which point the rice is useless. Also, while we were ordering (the 1st time) we asked the server what the rice would taste like and we were told it was “sweet” due to some cinnamon, but no, it’s not, it’s savory but a more accurate description would be just tasteless. The Malbec they poured me had so much sediment in it, I could see it in the glass with just the candle light, and thanks to that I didn’t have the last sip which would have been utterly grotesque. The Riesling tasted like white grape juice had been added to it. The interior design is lovely, it’s very warm and since we just came back from a month in Southeast Asia, I can assure you that the decor is a rather authentic version of chic French restaurants in SE Asia (we went to three). $138 (tip included) for a middling vegetarian meal generically “Asian” for two is obscene. Next time? Heck no! I’m...