When Colette first opened in 2016, it was a fine place to go for avocado toast, a soyrizo scramble, all-American breakfast combos with sweet potato hash, almond milk and a very tasty burger.

It was a considerable distance north from the 210 Freeway on Michillinda, offering those in the Hills a destination for familiar food in a setting with an oversized outdoor patio, and easy parking in a large lot. It saved locals a journey into Pasadena proper for a bite – and its distance up Michillinda guaranteed a lack of outlanders.

It was a snappy neighborhood eatery. And it still is.

But that neighborhood is a lot wider now, with those hungry for dim sum all day – along with crispy honey shrimp, fried oysters with plum salt, kung pao chicken and even an oversized lobster – flocking there with large groups to fill oversized tables with the sort of dishes found at Cantonese seafood houses of Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead, Arcadia and beyond.

Colette has gone from eggs Benedict to black truffle chicken salad, from buttered English muffins to blueberry crispy yam. And it’s kept the same name. It’s a culinary sea change unlike any other I can remember.

Keeping the name the same may seem a tad perverse. But it actually makes linguistic sense. The word “Colette” in French translates as “people of victory.” In Chinese, it’s translated as “dream lover.”

And, for the most part, as Colette looked before, is how Colette looks now. But there’s a quartet of neon Chinese characters against a wall at the entrance. Their translation is “Life is like a play.” And so, for that manner, is a meal at Colette (975 N. Michillinda Ave., Pasadena; 626-510-6286, www.colettepasadena.com). There’s an abundance of upscale Chinese restaurants in the SG Valley – but there are none like this.

It’s the creation of Peter Lai, the former chef from Embassy Kitchen, down on San Gabriel Boulevard. In the case of Colette, he has a space unlike any other in the Valley – most notably with such an abundance of outdoor dining.

Unlike the restaurants down below, there’s a fair amount of seating here for parties of two, four or six – though, as ever, large groups work best, simply because the more people you have, the more dishes you can order. The sight of a table groaning with a dozen or so large steaming plates and bowls always quickens my pulse. And makes me hungrier than I was.

There’s a dim sum menu, with 10 classic items served with both lunch and dinner – contrary to tradition. (Though that tradition has been fading, thanks to newcomers like Lunasia, where dim sum is an all-day affair.)

The dim sum is good, but not great as we’ve grown accustomed to in this neck of the woods. The rice noodle wrap around the shrimp har gow seemed a tad gummy. The “thin wonton wrap” on the shrimp and pork siu mai wasn’t all that thin. The amount of minced cha siu in the bun was…minimal. My table finished their dim by the time the sauces arrived. Oh well.

On the other hand, I was properly fascinated by some of the Cantonese-California fusion dishes. Like the salmon carpaccio, a thinly sliced sashimi flavored with ginger, garlic, pickled onions, fried taro and peanut sprinkles. There’s a chicken salad made unique with the use of a black truffle sauce.

I honestly have no idea what culinary world gave us the blueberry crispy yam; perhaps it’s a holdover from the previous menu. Ditto the baked avocado with a seafood filling. And I do wonder if the shimeji mushroom is topped with a “faux gras” sauce or a “foie gras” sauce. “Faux” and “foie” may be close – but they ain’t the same.

The blendo dishes are scattered around the menu, making it a bit of a culinary treasure hunt. There’s a French-style lamb chop, with a very European herb topping. There are chicken wings in a “cola sauce” – chicken wings à la Pepsi sounds like something to eat at a sports bar. The Goo-Loo Pork comes with “assorted fruits.”

And, that’s not to say that I didn’t eat well at Colette. The salt-and-pepper tossed calamari is properly crispy, hotted up with jalapeño slices. The sautéed broccoli with garlic had a fine crunch. The crispy honey shrimp was an oldie but yummy. And what’s not to love about the scallop and ham fried rice – a fine combo.

The sake list is long. The beer list includes a trio of brews – Lucky Cat, Lucky Dog and Lucky Chicken. There are eight teas, served in beautifully elegant pots.

Colette pleases and puzzles at the same time. It’s like no other Cantonese – in a location like none other. Like its name, it’s as much a dream as a restaurant.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.