Le Lan

Who's eaten here?

What's good/bad?

Le Lan Restaurant
749 N. Clark
Chicago
312 280-9100

I ate there recently (posted about it on Chowhounds - search there for the exact link). Overall the food was good, though in the fixed price special we had, not overly Vietnamese which was a bit of a disappointment. The service for us was quite rough, but that could be a highly variable item - and also somewhat a factor of being only open for a month or so.

That said, a friend who generally has very, very good taste in restaurants went there recently with her boyfriend for a celebratory dinner and enjoyed it imensely.

In short, I think definitely a restraurant worth a few tries and holds a great deal of promise. In reading about it, it appears that the menu is still in flux and that they are working out some kinks - but a worthy addition to Chicago's food scene.

Shannon

Amusee to start: spring roll (not fried) of shaved shallot, bean sprouts, shaved celery with a vinaigrette.

Appetizers: Duo of Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Cold: slow roasted pork, shrimp, sweet spicy shallots and Warm: Chicken, vermicelli, four pepper vinaigrette. Also Banh Xeo.

Entrees: Roast Duck Breast w/Seared Foie Gras. Lemongrass duck rillette, confit of plum, creamy polenta, green cardamom jus. Roasted Rack of Lamb w/Red Curried Loin. Fennel salad, sweet coconut gnocchi, eggplant chutney.

Amusee was a wonderful way to start.

Banh Xeo was ok, but also included on this plate were a couple deep fried mushrooms w/a light batter over a marinated mushroom salad. Also crispy pork belly served w/a chopped mango salsa. Mushrooms and crispy pork belly were terrific.

The duck and foie gras were cooked perfectly so pretty hard to mess that combination up.

The lamb rack and loin were two of the best pieces of lamb I’ve ever had, so full of flavor. Combined w/the salad and chutney made this a very enjoyable dish.

A couple flights of Pinot Noir were the wine of choice for us.

With an Executive Chef of Roland Liccioni along w/Chef Arun (yes that Arun) Sampanthavivat, I expected more out of Le Lan. I echo Shannon’s comments of the flavors we experienced are more in the French category rather than Viet.

Le Lan Restaurant
749 North Clark Street
Chicago
312.280.9100
http://www.lelanrestaurant.com

I really wanted to like this place, I tried it a half dozen times. I gave it a few passes for being new, but the food just got worse instead of better! Why is a hot new restaurant offering specials? Why is it that Arun's does not need to offer Tuesday specials? Le lan does not have it together! The food isn't as good as it was in the beginning. At best, I can say the quality of the food has NO CONSISTENCY. I find it strange that Le Lan opened its doors just next to Erawan (which is now closed) and Erawan was owned by ex-Arun employees. Chicago has so many other restaurants with better cuisine, better atmosphere and better service, I would spend my money elsewhere! This restaurant has such good parents, you would think this place has to be great - BUT IT IS NOT!

bump.

New chef (Bill Kim), new cuisine (Pan Asian to compliment Opera), new kitsch (3 daily kimchi specials. ehhh.. yah. we have H-mart).

had wagyu carpaccio, braised short ribs, a glass of Marenco moscato w/ the sorbet flight (lychee, ginger-orange and.. passionfruit) finished with a comped glass of Tawny port.

bread plate was steamed rolled scallion man tao with a citrus hoisin dipping sauce. Wagyu carpaccio was coupled with scallion pancakes which baked in dicon. Also sampled the squash dumplings which came out shaped/wrapped ala ravioli, topped with a mild, yet rich passion fruit sauce. The braised short ribs reminded me of the much missed short ribs at Mundial Cocina Mestiza - a bit tangy with a reduced soy, garlic, scallion sauce. Ribs were served with brown rice, don't know why, didn't eat it. House made sorbet was a substitute on our prix fixe list with the alternative being a sugar glazed banana+coconut/peanut cream. Total damage: $36 including tip/tix + alcohol bill. the $20.07 prix-fixe (price meaningless in of itself as one would leave hungry after the plat du jour + 3 dollops of sorbet) ended yesterday, 1/31/07.

Terry, front of the house, was extremely gracious and appreciative of our 10-top on a slower nite (which turned out to be not so slow), but Cecily our waitress seemed bugged out we exceeded the reservation by 4.

all in all, the better of the KDK restaurants. opera is still just a dessert joint to me and le lan has stepped up to fill the "need" of a Pan Asian restaurant in KDK's franchise.

This place is disappointing. The service is weak and both of my visits produced food not fully cooked. Won't go back...unless you're buying.

That explains why American Airlines is now offering frequent flyer miles for dining at Le Lan.

Thought I had posted this months ago, meal described is from '07

LTH,

Had a surprisingly good meal at La Lan. I say surprising as I had expectations that La Lan was style over substance and, while there is certainly no shortage of style, there was substance as well. On Tuesday, as Ann Fisher mentions here, they run a 3-course pre fix special, soup or salad, entree, any entree from the menu no simply a choice of 2-3 less expensive entrees, and dessert, same as the entree, any you wish from the menu. Tuesday pre fix is $38.

Thai coconut soup with poached shrimp surprised right off the kick, lemongrass and spices enhancing perfectly cooked shrimp. Seafood and soba noodles was spot on as well, lightly chewy buckwheat soba rolled into mini haystacks set in a landscape of tender mussels, shrimp and squid. We also had an add on appetizer of Pork belly and pink shrimp spring roll, nice concept, nice crunch, though I thought the pork belly got slightly lost in mix.

Two of the entrees stood out, Tea smoked duck breast, nice presentation, hints of fruit redeeming slightly overcooked flesh. Banana leaf wrapped red Thai curry grouper, a straight up winner, but I'm a sucker for grouper and basmati fried rice of the day, in this case sharp and gingery, provided flavor accent as well as starch.

Service was, in a word, excellent, our waiter knowledgeable and open to slight changes and variations our low to moderate maintenance group of 4 requested. Atmosphere is upscale, hip with with a well trained hip-vibe staff.

Le Lan is definitely about the sizzle, but has the steak, or in this case Wagyu beef carpaccio, to back it up.

Enjoy,
Gary

Le Lan Restaurant
749 N. Clark
Chicago
312 280-9100