B

Bold Flavors at Night + Market, Las Vegas

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.

Night + Market
Partial view of the dining area with the disco balls

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.)

Lobster pad Thai

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.

Pastrami pad kee mao - wok-tossed rice noodles, red bell pepper, youngpeppercorn, basil, Thai chili, pastrami
Pastrami pad kee mao

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).

Fried chicken sandwich - Northern Thai style fried skin-on chickenthigh, papaya slaw, ranch, jalapeños and cilantro

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.

Spicy duck rolls - crispy rolls of roast duck, veggies, thai basil and chili. wrap with crunchy lettuce and eat like a taco

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.

Moo Sadoong or ‘startled pig’ - Grilled pork, Thai basil, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, lime, chili, onions,cilantro, rice powder

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.

Garlic green beans - green beans sautéed with garlic, soy sauce, and white pepper

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

  • Night + Market
  • Bar area
  • Partial view of the dining area with the disco balls
  • Moo Sadoong or ‘startled pig’ - Grilled pork, Thai basil, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, lime, chili, onions,cilantro, rice powder
  • Som Tum (papaya salad) - Mortar- pounded green papaya salad with palm sugar, lime juice, bird eye chili,peanuts
  • Thai iced tea (non-alcoholic) and Thai martini (lychee Wheatley vodka, carpano dry vermouth, orange bitters)
  • Talesai Mai Tai - milk washed tiki rum blend, oregat, lime, Thai basil
  • Pork toro - grilled fatty pork jowl with ‘jaew’ northeastern chili dip
  • Garlic green beans - green beans sautéed with garlic, soy sauce, and white pepper
  • Pastrami pad kee mao - wok-tossed rice noodles, red bell pepper, youngpeppercorn, basil, Thai chili, pastrami
  • Spicy duck rolls - crispy rolls of roast duck, veggies, thai basil and chili. wrap with crunchy lettuce and eat like a taco
  • Moo Sadoong or ‘startled pig’ - Grilled pork, Thai basil, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, lime, chili, onions, cilantro, rice powder
  • XO wagyu ribeye - 6-ounce wagyu ribeye steak, grilled, sliced, then finished in the wok with Chinesebroccoli and house XO sauce
  • Fried chicken sandwich - Northern Thai style fried skin-on chickenthigh, papaya slaw, ranch, jalapeños and cilantro
  • Pastrami pad kee mao - wok-tossed rice noodles, red bell pepper, young peppercorn, basil, Thai chili, pastrami
  • Lobster pad Thai
Tina

I shoot, eat, and drink. My full time job is a hospital administrator. Moonlighting as a freelance photographer and food and travel writer.