More than a bakery

Vietnamese style makes La Patisserie a winner

Stacee Sledge

Dec 19, 2002 — When you pop into La Patisserie for the first time, you might find yourself initially perplexed.

Entering the Birchwood neighborhood restaurant, you encounter a glass case that holds slices of cream pie and a variety of cakes that look almost too good to eat. Almost.

Sharing the case are cans of soda, plastic containers of juices and a selection of beverages in glass bottles.

Resting atop the case are several beautifully decorated cakes, display examples of the work you can have done at La Patisserie for any special occasion.

But look more closely among the drink selection and you'll notice something a bit different from your average bakery: cans of coconut juice, guava drink and Yeo's, a Malaysian manufacturer of a variety of beverages.

French for "bakery," La Patisserie's name refers to its popular bakery business, where folks can special order cakes and grab pastries and croissants on the go.

La Patisserie

Location:   3098 Northwest Ave.  Phone: 671-3671 Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday Serving: Traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Menu items sampled: Egg rolls $3.75 Wonton Mi $6.75 Chao Tom $12.25 Noodle dish No. 8: $7.50

La Patisserie does two seemingly different things well: baking cakes and serving authentic Vietnamese food.

Of course, if you think back to your history lessons, the marriage of Vietnamese food and French baking isn't at all farfetched; the French colonial influence is still strongly felt in many areas of Vietnam, particularly in the major cities. The decor of the spacious eatery is simple, the dining room bright and clean. Decorative lattice hangs suspended above the tables, sharing a cheery color scheme of light green and cream, while lace curtains hang charmingly in the windows.

A recent evening dinner found me and my friend Tasha looking over the varied menu. I was anxious to try its pork dumpling appetizer, but was disappointed to learn that there was none available. Instead, our server (who I believe is also the owner) suggested the egg roll, which we thought would make a good replacement.

Six egg rolls, listed on the menu as "cha gio," were presented on a clear glass plate. These delicate, crisp rolls are frailer than Chinese egg rolls, traditionally rolled in sheer thin bang tranhg, rice paper, which can be hard to handle during preparation. The main ingredient in the rolls was flavorful minced pork, and the appetizer made a fitting first course.

Tasha ordered Wonton Mi, one of the many exceptional soup and noodle choices offered at La Patisserie. Wontons containing slices of barbecue pork wonton mingled with sizeable shrimp in a clear, rich broth poured over thin egg noodles and garnished with fresh coriander and scallion.

Tasha detected a touch of sweetness in the broth, as you would get from vegetables, not sugar. She declared the dish a perfect anecdote for the cold she was recovering from.

I ordered a dish my friend Wes had raved about in the past, Chao Tom. The star of this dish is shrimp on sugar cane, served on an enormous platter laden with additional ingredients that are all then fashioned into accompanying rice paper and folded up to be eaten.

Our server set the massive serving dish on our table and then explained to me how to proceed. I first took one of the sugar cane sticks (which can be savored during the meal by simply chewing on it) and removed the shrimp patty, breaking it in half lengthwise. I placed pieces of it atop the impossibly thin rice paper and layered on additional ingredients from the bounty of them available: lettuce, pickled carrot, fresh basil (still on the stalk), bean sprouts, rice noodle and scallion. The entire tasty concoction was then dipped in a pleasing peanut sauce.

This is the type of dish that reminds me I'm an Iowa girl with much to learn about the cuisines of other countries. When I discover something as wonderful as Chao Tom, it makes me anxious to get to all the other dishes I've been missing.

Arriving with the modest bill were four coffee-flavored candies. They made a fitting final touch to an all-around pleasant meal.

I stopped in at La Patisserie a couple days later, for a much-needed break in a busy Saturday of holiday shopping.

Before 5 p.m., patrons order at the counter from a colorfully printed chalkboard. I was greeted instantly and then given time to mull over the options.

My eye was instantly drawn to the area of the board that exclaimed: "Our specialty!" which laid out a detailed, hunger-inducing description of its noodle dishes, served with skewers of shrimp, chicken, pork, beef or a combination of each.

A specialty, indeed. The version I ordered — the No. 8, a combo including chicken, shrimp, pork and beef — was built within a deep china bowl, layer upon layer of lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, rice vermicelli, and the aforementioned skewers, topped with peanuts, sesame seeds and dried onion. Each skewer contained the highest quality meat, seasoned and barbecued so that the taste of each was distinct and memorable.

A small bowl of tangy Vietnamese dressing accompanied the larger, overflowing bowl. The condiment was made of fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and wee slivers of carrot, adding tang and sweetness to an already flavorful dish.

It made for a fabulous lunch that punctuated an equally delightful dinner two nights earlier. Now I just need to sample one of La Patisserie's beautiful cakes. If the attention to detail at lunch and dinner is any indication, I'll be in for quite a special experience.