Cheap Eats - Gently pasteurized
Pho Pasteur wins with great Vietnamese and kooky furnishings
Pho Pasteur stands out, even though it’s wedged into a corner of a stucco shopping center behind a bland meat-and-three takeout chain. Red and green neon tubes frame the windows of this small, family-owned Vietnamese restaurant. Inside, the eatery charms with huge paste-on murals of mossy woodland scenes. They look as if they’ve been cribbed right off a Sierra Club Christmas card. The landscapes are absolutely mesmerizing, including the one right next to me of water rushing over rocks, which nearly lulls me into a semi-conscious state. I am so entranced I want to peel it off the wall and take it home. The squishy pleather booth we’re tucked into intensifies Pasteur’s relaxing air. The seating is less like a restaurant fixture and more like a favorite old couch.
Beer with ice can be mighty nice: Nothing complements Asian food more than beer, especially Tiger brand, which our server presents with ice-filled glasses as if it were a Coke. My friend gamely pours his into a glass, thinking that perhaps Tiger is meant to be drunk with ice, as Bandol reds are in Provence. We discover two things: When drunk very quickly before it becomes diluted, iced beer is quite refreshing. We also realize our server’s just a young, uninformed family member pitching in on the weekends. Although service is gracious on both visits, mistakes are common. When we point out to our server that we’d ordered the small and not the medium soup, the young fellow responds, “Well, it’s just a few cents more.”
So pho, so good: Like many Asian restaurants, Pho Pasteur isn’t lacking in the options department. The menu offers almost 90 items, the majority of which ring in under $8. Spring rolls and shredded pork rolls (both $2.95) are admirably fresh, packed with nibbly vermicelli, fresh basil, lettuce and plump shrimp or shredded pork. These goodies are wrapped tightly in chewy rice paper and paired with plum sauce and chopped peanuts. Pasteur’s pho is definitely up to par, with fresh, rich-yet-light broth, a hefty sprinkling of cilantro and your choice of meat or vegetable. Small servings are great value at $4.25, medium costs just a bit of change more at $5.50, and lake-like large is still a very affordable $6. Even though always-yucky imitation crab is included in the seafood pho, the chubby shrimp and tender squid compensate.
Mmmm...beefy!: Pho Pasteur offers multi-course beef spectaculars, which range in price from $14.95 for three courses for one person to the bargain seven-course dinner for four at $49.95. The meals’ grilled beef sausage and beef fondue sound too tantalizing not to deem future visits worthy. Diners who walk on the lighter side of the street will enjoy the wonderful fried tofu ($5.50), best described as a sort of Asian hushpuppy, shatteringly crispy on the outside and feathery light on the inside. Chinese-style stir-fried noodles, particularly the seafood version ($7.95) are also delicious options for those who don’t want to float away on a river of broth.
Admittedly, Lilburn is a bit of a drive even for those living outside the bubble. But Pho Pasteur’s fine food definitely merits the gas money. As do those hypnotic murals.