Pasadena: Dinner at Bistro Mon Cheri
sunflower seed sarada salad
When one thinks about Pasadena, there hasn’t been too many thrilling eats to be found there. It’s getting better though. And chef Kimmy Tang has brought her fusion Vietnamese eats to Bistro Mon Cheri. Chef Kimmy is best known for starting the popular 9021Pho shops but Mon Cheri serves more than just pho.
We started with the sunflower seed sarada, a tasty kale salad.
wontons
Then we had a series of fried appetizers that wouldn’t be out of place in a tiki joint including the cheese wontons. Surprisingly, these were fairly light despite the drizzle of cheese. I liked the walnut and tarragon flavors.
chocoliscious
Then we had these beef meatballs chef calls chocoliscious with molten chocolate centers.
pate
We also tried both her vegetarian (mushroom) and offal-y pate. I actually really enjoyed the mushroom one with the good crusty bread.
coffee tori wings
Chef Kimmy loves to play with flavor profiles. The coffee tori wings are her nod to a the sweet and savory pairing. These were quite juicy.
beef wraps
Fans of Vietnamese food will recognize the beef wraps as bo la lot, the beef wrapped in betel leaves.
cho cho san shrimp
And back to the fried stuff, we also had the cho cho san shrimp. If you like coconut shrimp, get these.
ikasumipasuta
I’m so happy we tried the squid ink pasta with lots and lots of seafood. This is the ikasumipasuta dish on the menu. Be sure to mix it all up to get the sauce hiding at the bottom of the bowl.
sweet chili chicken
The table loved the sweet chili chicken. I was happy we did get a little taste of her famous pho (not shown). What a fun find in Pasadena.
dessert
And if your sweet tooth gets the best of you, you can always order the cakes from the case at Mon Cheri.
950 E Colorado Blvd., Ste 204, Pasadena, CA 91106 —  (626) 787-1323© 2018 The Minty