If you want the taste of food that feels like fireworks are going to explode in your mouth and you’re in Las Vegas, check out the new Night + Market, Las Vegas restaurant at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, which opened in April. This restaurant’s original location is in Los Angeles, California (and there are multiple locations there) and it is a popular Thai restaurant. Chef Kris Yenbamroong and his team did a great job preparing Thai dishes but combining them with American ingredients.
As we approached Night + Market we were amused to see the row of disco balls hanging on the wall. If there is something to be said, the tables were well lit. So, if you want to take photos of your food, it is generally in a good position.
I should mention that this restaurant serves family style dishes and if you order multiple dishes the plates are usually served in multiple. Don’t worry because this is the vibe you are aiming for: a group of people eating together and having a table full of delicious food and ideally having glasses (or a bottle or more) of natural wines to add to your meal to combine. While my group didn’t have any wine, some of us settled for their well-made, strong cocktails.
What makes this particular place unique compared to its LA-based restaurants is the only section of the Las Vegas menu where you can order luxurious, maximalist versions of Thai dishes and a raw seafood bar. For this section we had the lobster pad thai and it was a really solid pad thai dish. The noodles were cooked to perfection, it was on the sweet side but not a bad thing, and the seared big lobster that topped the dish was meaty and tasty. (Tangential note, we wanted to order the uni fried rice, but they didn’t have a uni available when we were there.)
The pastrami Pad Kee Mao, rice noodles tossed in a wok, red peppers, young peppercorns, basil, Thai chilli, pastrami was spicy and incredibly hearty. Note that the chilli spice fire will keep building up as you continue to eat this noodle.
Pastrami pad kee mao
If you’ve read or heard about this restaurant, you might have heard of their fried chicken sandwich. This towering giant looked quite intimidating as it is at least six inches tall from the deliciously flavorful, crispy papaya salad, and the crispy fried chicken is almost the size of the plate it is served on. What I’m completely amazed at is how the chicken is still crispy and the meat is still juicy – and I can understand why it’s a favorite (and one of mine, too).
The flavorful duck rolls were probably the starter (or snack, mentioned on the menu) that we loved as a group. The layered, crispy textures: fresh crispy romaine lettuce and the fried spring roll wrapper contrast the softer, meaty duck and vegetable filling. There’s a dipping sauce on the side that was sweet and hot and delicious together.
The Moo Sadoong or ‘startled pork’ salad made from grilled pork cubes, Thai basil, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, lime, chilli, onions, coriander and rice powder. It’s a salad that should be eaten with sticky rice as there are so many vibrant flavors.
This green bean with garlic dish probably doesn’t look like much to you. If you are familiar with Chinese / Southeast Asian cuisine that uses the wok and you understand “wok hey” this is the dish you should cherish. It’s an intentionally minimalist dish, but this short-lived smoky flavor takes this dish to another level.
I haven’t seen another restaurant like this in a while where the food comes seriously in the face with flavors and definitely not shy that it is Thai food. Glad that a restaurant like this is ten minutes by taxi / Uber from my hotel (Park MGM) and won’t hesitate to eat there again.
Information:
Night + Market, Las Vegas
website
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Google Maps
Phone: +1 (702) 693-5280
