Upscale French-Vietnamese Restaurant Pasteur is a must re/visit place to go!

Dining in Pasteur had me thinking of the movie “The Lover“. Imagine Indochina still under the French colonial empire. European luxury and sophistication meets sweltering heat and lush culture in a class divided Southeast Asian country. Pasteur embodied the sexy and luxurious ambiance with the traditional Vietnamese menu. One would almost expect a man wearing a fedora with his flapper date will eventually walk in. Well, one can only wish.

The combination of the food and ambiance in Pasteur is a destination in itself. It was really hard to pull ourselves away from reading through the menu and not order everything from it. Overall it was a great experience and one that will need to be replicated more often.

We started with some cocktails to whet our appetites. We ordered a rum-based mango cocktail and a Lychee liquer martini.

For appetizers, we had a rice flour crepe dish, rice paper-rolled shrimp, and Dumplings.

Then we followed that with the most satisfying bowl of beef soup.

On to our entrees, we had Sauteed Calamari, Steamed Fish, and Bacon-wrapped tenderloin.

And who would pass the dessert? Not us!

“When the past is recaptured by the imagination, breath is put back into life.”-Marguerite Duras, author of “The Lover”

All photos used here are owned by Chicagonista.