137 Brighton Ave. Allston; (617) 783-2340
Pho Pasteur holds down one end of the Brighton Avenue/Harvard Avenue intersection in Allston, while V. Majestic (below) reigns a block away at the opposite end. Together they make the neighborhood rich with inexpensive Vietnamese seafood.
At Pho Pasteur, the special style of cooking is caramel, in which the food is sauteed in a way that brings its natural sugars to the outside for a slightly sweet taste. Caramel shrimp ($8) gives you a good portion served over steamed rice. There are also caramel fish and pork.
But for a treat, stick with the Vietnamese special dinners. For non-fish eaters, there is chicken lemon grass ($7), roasted in honey and marinated in this tasty spice. Rolling beef ($7) is thinly sliced beef marinated in a rich and slightly spicy sauce and wrapped in grape leaves. Or try an assortment of Vietnamese vegetables sauteed over rice ($5.50). Saigon soup ($3.50) contains fish, shrimp, and pineapple. Seaweed soup ($2) is better than it may sound, with your choice of shrimp, scallops, fish, pork, beef, or chicken.
Pho Pasteur offers several special luncheon deals, smaller portions of their main dishes at lower prices. Open from 11 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. Mondays through Saturdays, til 10 P.M. on Sundays.
