Thai Style Noodle House

So when it comes to Thai restaurants, I'm used to the normal menu of curries, stir fried noodles and and basil laden dishes.  Thai Style Noodle House definitely has a menu that isn't typical.  Our little party originally didn't plan on coming here but passing by and noticing how busy and potentially unique it seemed to be warranted at least a look and see.

Along with the typical fare of Pad Thai, Panang, Larb and Tom Kha you can see some unique dishes on the menu I definitely don't see at many other Thai restaurants.  The biggest thing you notice is that a good portion of the menu is dedicated to different soups, and on top of that you can even customize your choice of noodle.  Although Panang curry is typical, it's not commonly served with avocado and salmon, so this definitely was on our order.  So we ordered a Thai tea(which was textbook tasty,) an avocado salmon Panang, roast duck soup and a Thai style tom yum noodle, both soups ordered with thin rice noodles.

The salmon/avocado Panang was pleasantly familiar yet surprisingly new.  Lots of curry sauce surrounding a small mixture of avocado and salmon pieces.  The curry itself stood up well against other restaurants and the creaminess of the avocado played well to tame the pungent curry and round out the flavors of the salmon.  Now that i think of it, avocado and salmon is actually a common pairing, never would have thought so in a curry though.

My pops ordered the Thai style tom yum noodle.  It was ordered at a medium spice and along with the thin rice noodles had fishcakes, Fishballs, shrimp, ground pork and sliced pork garnished by a little cilantro.  This soup has that perfect mixture of sweet, salty, sour and spicy that you want from a tom yum with a broth that was kind of addicting, or at least addicting to my palate.  The pork was a perfect vehicle to absorb the taste of the broth and the fishcakes added that nice seafood contrast that goes well with the Thai flavors presented through the broth.

My personal choice for the night was the roast duck soup, and although I would normally get the Chinese style of noodle I was on a little bit of a pho noodle kick and went with the thin rice.  There was a decent portion of sliced duck in the soup and a few pieces of bok choy garnished with green onions over the top.  I might not be an expert on roast duck soup, but this was really good.  The broth was rich and the flavor had a deep duck flavor to it.  Every bite of this soup had me excited for the next.  The pieces of duck itself were very tender and there were little pieces of skin mixed in which I always like that complemented well with the bok choy that still had a little crisp bite to it.

Overall this was a great way to experience a different Thai menu with excellent soup and unique style of Panang.  I will definitely be back soon and I think my visits will concentrate on other soups just because they do it so damn well!  Till next time folks, keep nursing those cravings.

Thai Style Noodle House
3516 Wynn Road Las Vegas, NV 89013
(702)873-8943
 

Ka-Bao!

So this is my first go at it, and my most recent meal happens to be at Great Bao and I couldn't be happier!  For those who haven't tried this place, the biggest surprise will be the fact this place is in some kind of a hair salon/spa. When you go on their website, the picture to find them is this.

 I know, weird right? I remember thinking the first time, "don't these places smell like...?" Fortunately, you walk in and realize that there really is no smell and in the cozy little window and seating you kind of forget that you're sitting in a spa.  I arrived around closing and the whole menu wasn't available (they tend to sell out,) which is actually a good sign for a small spot like this, you know they're doing something right. With this being my second visit I was familiar with Chef Sheridan and Jennie.  One of the benefits of this spot being so cozy is the fact you can chat it up with the Chef and get a little more insight on the food.  So along with preparation came education on what great pork belly looks like, and it was pretty simple "a rainbow of meat and fat layers, meat/fat/meat/fat" kind of poetic no?  Anyways, what was still available happened to be roast duck and pork belly, both of which i was craving.  I made sure I got the 3 bao and a drink deal for $10 so I could have a Italian cream soda to wash it all down, this time 2 pork belly and one duck.

I think one of my favorite things about the bao here is that along with all the great flavors, the meat has such contrasting texture, probably lending to the fact it's all cooked to order. The pork belly bao is served with hoison sauce, pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts.  The bork belly is tender but has a nice sear to it so you get that crunch, particularly skin side.  The pickled mustard greens add nice contrast but what really rounds out the flavors is the crushed peanuts which I'm a fan of in most dishes.  The roast duck is served with cucumber, scallion and hoison sauce.  Like the pork belly, there is great flavor with this bao and the meat has great textural contrast.  From my experience roast duck with tender meat along with a good crispy skin is the hallmark of great duck.  I don't know how much longer I have left here in Las Vegas but if that time is short, I definitely need to make sure I visit this spot a few more times.

Great Bao

4965 West Tropicana

Las Vegas, NV 89103

(Located inside Touch Salon and Spa)