If you want food flavors that feels like fireworks are exploding in your mouth and you are in Las Vegas, you should head over to the new restaurant Night + Market, Las Vegas at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas that opened in April. This restaurant’s original location is over at Los Angeles, California (and they have several locations there) and it’s a popular Thai restaurant. Chef Kris Yenbamroong and his team did a great job cooking Thai dishes but merging it with American ingredients.
When we approached Night + Market, we were amused seeing the line of disco balls that hung along the wall. If there’s anything to comment, the tables were lit well so if you do want to photograph your food, it’s generally in a good situation.
I should mention that this restaurant serves family-style plates of food and if you order multiple dishes, plates will tend to come out in multiples. Do not fret since that’s the vibe they are going for: to have a group of people dining together and have a table full of delicious food and ideally, have glasses (or a bottle or several) of natural wines to pair with the meal. While my group did not have wine, a few of us opted for their well made, strong cocktails.
What makes this particular location unique than its LA-based restaurants, is the Las Vegas only section of the menu where you could order luxurious, maximalist versions of Thai dishes and a raw seafood bar. From that section, we had the lobster pad Thai and it was a really solid pad Thai dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked, it err on the sweet side but not a bad thing, and the seared large lobster that crowned the dish was meaty and delicious. (Tangential note, we wanted to order the uni fried rice but they didn’t have any uni available when we were there.)
The pastrami pad kee mao, wok-tossed rice noodles, red bell pepper, young peppercorn, basil, Thai chili, pastrami was spicy and incredibly savory. Do note, when you keep on eating these noodles, the fire of the chili spice keeps building up.
If you read or heard anything about this restaurant, you might have heard of their fried chicken sandwich. This towering behemoth looked pretty intimidating to eat since it’s at least six inches tall from the deliciously tangy, crunchy papaya salad, and the crispy fried chicken is almost the size of the plate it’s served in. What I’m completely amazed is how the chicken still retained its crispiness and the meat is still moist – and I can understand why it’s a favorite (and one of mine too).
The spicy duck rolls were probably the appetizer (or snack, mentioned on the menu) that we adored as a group. The layered crunchy textures: fresh, crunch from the romaine lettuce and the fried spring roll wrapper contrast the softer, meaty duck and vegetable filling. There is a dipping sauce on the side that was sweet-spicy and it’s delicious together.
The Moo Sadoong or ‘startled pig’ salad made of cubes of grilled pork, Thai basil, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, lime, chili, onions, cilantro, and rice powder. It’s a salad that should be eaten with sticky rice since there’s so many vibrant flavors going on.
This garlic green beans dish probably does not look like much to you. If you know Chinese/Southeastern Asian cuisines that uses the wok and understand “wok hei” this is the dish to appreciate. It’s an intentionally minimalist dish but that ephemeral smoky flavor just takes this dish to another level.
I have not encountered another restaurant like this in a while where the food is seriously in your face with flavors and it’s definitely not shy about the fact it’s Thai food. I’m happy that a restaurant like this is a ten minute taxi/Uber ride 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 Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Google Maps
Phone: +1 (702) 693-5280
