LOTUS OF SIAM - MENU SUGGESTIONS

[lebdog]

I am too lazy to scroll through all the posts on LS. Would the Vegas 'hounds out there indulge me and offer up some recommendations from LS menu. I've only been once and ordered some stuff off the Northern Menu which was all great but I'd really appreciate some ideas and descriptions of "must have" dishes. Thanks.

[Beach Chick]

Just got back from having one of the best meals of my life for lunch at LOS...
OMG..words cannot express how frigging good the food is here.

I had the Pad Thai with Tofu which is sublime...Tom Kai soup with shrimp..beyond incredible.
DH had the green curry with chicken...so off the rails that I was crying with tears of happiness that this place exists on the planet!
Went right at 11:30am for lunch and there was a huge line but got right in and the service was outstanding and it seemed like everyone was headed to the $10 buffett...I'm not a buffett chicka and don't eat much meat but it looked like a real winner chicken dinner of dishes.

I'm so jonesing for more Lotus of Siam that I'm looking at flying in for the day to get my fix..
Is there rehab for this?
; )

[Dave Feldman]

Here's the scary part. You haven't begun to eat the best dishes yet. But I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It looks like I may not be able to eat at LOS until December.

[kevin]

Do they still have the NYC location ?

[Dave Feldman]

LOS-NY is still in operation, but independent of the Chutimas in Las Vegas. There's a new chef in the kitchen, but I haven't been there since he came in. Plan to go soon.

[Beach Chick]

Thanks Dave...sorry to hear you won't be able to eat at LOS till December..
Love Pad Thai and since I don't eat meat, thought it was safe with the tofu..any suggestions for me for next time and I like things super spicy.

LOS is the Mothership of Thai food..

[Dave Feldman]

Hi B.C.,

Good news for vegetarians. Next time you go, enlist the help of your server. LOS is happy to do all kinds of things for vegetarians. For example, if you find a sauce that sounds interesting, they can do a vegetarian version of it, including the famous crispy rice with sour sausage appetizer (with tofu instead). Although it isn't on the menu, LOS always offers a tofu salad that contains the same herbs and spices and dressing as the beef salad or squid salads. It's delicious.

[kevin]

I really like their sauteed sea bass with drunken noodles, their garlic salt and pepper chicken wings, thai beef jerky, their beef short ribs in coconut curry sauce with egg noodles.

and their charbrioled whole catfish if you are going with a particularly large party.

[Johnny K]

I love, love, love Lotus of Siam...One of my favorite restaurants period. One of my go to dishes is the crispy rice/sour sausage appetizer. I remember hearing or reading something a while back about an off the menu Thai style sausage dish. Wondering if anyone has any info on this?

[breezey]

So how far in advance do we need to book dinner for 2?

[araknd]

Breezey, my wife and I decided spur of the moment to go there earlier this month. When we entered the parking lot, I thought that we might have to wait some, but we were seated immediately. It's a pretty big space and the service is excellent without being intrusive and there was no rushing us through to open the table. We arrived about 5:30PM and when we left at 6:45, the place was packed and a line at the door, so you would be well advised to get there a little ahead of the dinner crowd.

[Dave Feldman]

Considering how popular LOS is, reservations are usually rather easy to obtain. A few days before during the week, and a week before on the weekend should be no trouble at all. But if there's a big convention in town, I'd be much more conservative.

[hobbess]

LOS underwent a big expansion about a year or two ago that, I'm guessing, mayble doubled their space so its much easier to get a seat. I was able to go there and get a table without first making any reservations. I ate there and I thought the food was good, but also felt it was over-hyped and too expensive for what you got.

Now that its easier to get a seat, I wonder if it will remain as highly regarded. After my experience, I wonder if the difficulty of getting a seat played a large role in its appeal- kind of like the Groucho Marx quote about how he didn't want to be a member of a club that would accept somebody like him. (After eating at Raku, I kind of wonder if it also became so highly regarded because it too used to be difficult to get into due to its small size).

[yankeefan]

Hello all. I will be in LV this week and just made reservations based on all the good things said about Lotus of Siam. I had a couple questions:

- is dress pretty casual- hoping to just go with sneakers and jeans?
- what is best way to get both scallop and squid? I was thinking the spicy squid to start and the scallop platter to follow.
- how is the beer selection?

Thanks.

-----
Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[QAW]

You are absolutely fine in sneakers and jeans. On some days in Commercial Center that can even put you above the median in terms of dress code.

Since the scallop preparations run the gamut, many times it is also a case of what spice combination pairs well with the other dishes being ordered. If you are thinking about the spicy squid to start, then the Panang Scallops can offer a nice contrast (a curry that is a bit on the creamy side, with cognac added). If the other dishes are a bit milder, perhaps the Chili Mint variation. But difficult to go wrong with any of the options.

With a wine list that runs to about 75 pages you can see where their beverage focus is, but there are some well thought-out beers on a smaller list. Perhaps a Singha or a Chang, two Thai beers that handle the spices of the cuisine well.

[kevin]

Basically the only beers are chsngs and Singha. The wine list filled with geurwertziners and veltliners are unbelievably extensive.

Thai beef jerky is great.

Garlic pepper chicken wings.

Charbroiled Whole Catfish.

Salmon in cognac sauce.

Short ribs in coconut curry cream with egg noodles.

Seabass sauteed over drunken noodles with thi basil
leaves.

Mango with sticky rice.

Thai jackfruit curry with smoked sheet fish.

[hobbess]

Does anybody know the dishes recommended by Jonathan Gold and David Rosengarten when they reviewed Lotus of Siam? I've been trying to find their reviews, but its like those reviews have disappeared into the ether.

I listen to Gold every week on KCRW's Good Food program back here in LA, and I was a big fan of Rosengarten when he had Taste on Food Network back when the Food Network was really about the food. But, so far, all I've found was Gold calling Lotus the best Thai restaurant in America and Rosengarten saying it was the best thai meal he's had outside Thailand.

-----
Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[Jase]

Gold's review was back in 1999 I believe? With so much time having passed, I'd say just go with current board recommendations. Especially since many of the wonderful Chef Specialty dishes weren't around when Gold did his review. From that section, I'm a big fan of the Garlic Fried Prawns and the Short Rib Panang curry.

From the Northern section, the pork curry has gotten raves from both new and veteran Thai diners I've taken there.

I also like the mussel omelet. The fluffiness of the egg white and rice flour goes so well with the mussels.

[hobbess]

If Gold's and Rosengartern's reviews are too old, how about the ones from the NY critics when Lotus of Siam expanded to NYC since those are still pretty recent?

Has anybody tried both the NYC and LV locations, and were they comparable?

-----
Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[Dave Feldman]

I'll try and dig out Jonathan Gold's review -- I have a photocopy somewhere. I'll never forget the photo of the whole barbecued catfish. Please keep in mind Jase's point -- there are many dishes on the menu now that weren't available when Jonathan reviewed LOS-LV, or were occasional off-menu specialties.

I don't think reviews of LOS-NY are relevant, as the menu in NY was shorter and missing many of LV's best dishes, the ingredients were not identical, and there was an entirely different team in the kitchen.

[hobbess]

How involved was LOS involved in the NYC kitchen? Did they send over a sous chef from LOS or something to handle the NYC location?

When the LOS left NYC, I remember reading something about how the people at LOS were too sick to try to keep the NYC branch open. But, did that sickness affect their Las Vegas operation as well?

[Jase]

Frankly, I think you're way over thinking this. Go and you'll have a good time.

The LOS people went and set up NY location with a partner. They had disagreements with the partner as to how to run things. The partner wanted a much more upscale experience.

I been to LOS 5 times in my last 3 Vegas trips. I haven't noticed a change in quality. The last time I noticed a wobble in quality and service was a few years back right before they remodeled and expanded. But subsequent trips have been exemplary and consistent.

One other dish I forgot to mention in my previous post is the crispy rice appetizer. That seems to be a near universal hit. I don't recall anyone disliking the dish on this board or among my friends.

[uhockey]

Not really a food question, but more a travel question -

Can anyone comment if the walking path from Encore to LOS is safe (IE, has Sidewalks) during the daylight hours? We're visiting in December and have no issues with walking 2 miles each way (walked to Raku from The Venetian last year) but just want to make sure there is a sidewalk and whatnot.

Cheers.

http://uhockey.blogspot.com

[QAW]

It is perfectly safe in the daytime - it just is not a very pleasant walk. There is a shuttle at Wynn/Encore that goes over to Paradise, leaving you off across from the convention center, and the walk down Paradise is not so bad. Once you turn East on Karen you will go past a couple of blocks of old apartment buildings that have seen better days (there is a sidewalk on the north side of Karen, but not the south). A bit dreary, but safety does not need to be a major concern in the daylight hours.

[kevin]

Yeah, I guess safe in the daytime, but don't walk it alone. Also, as the above poster mentioned it is quite a bit dreary and not really a fun walk at all, it feels very industrial almost at best.

[Dave Feldman]

I echo what QAW and Kevin said. Another possibility is to walk down East Sahara, which I've done before. It's a little longer, and there will be more traffic near you, but you'll be passing old-school retail storefronts, and bypassing most of the spotty apartment complexes.

[uhockey]

Cheers/Thanks to all.

I just find cabs quite off-putting. :-)

http://uhockey.blogspot.com

[shamu613]

The walk from Encore to LOS is a touch under two miles. Straight up The Strip to Sahara, turn right and continue to Commercial Center.

Are you adverse to taking a bus? Catch the Gold line in front of the Wynn on The Strip and get off at Sahara and Paradise. Walk the last quarter of a mile to Commercial center.

Finally, if you fear for your safety while walking, rent a car or hire a limo.

[uhockey]

I wasn't fearing safety - only asking if there were sidewalks. :-) I walked to Raku from the Venetian last year without issue, at night.

http://uhockey.blogspot.com

[kevin]

what's Raku? is it related to the Raku in Los Angeles?

[uhockey]

Browse this board - it is discussed quite frequently.

http://www.raku-grill.com/

http://uhockey.blogspot.com

[Dave Feldman]

Give the hoh mok sea bass or khao soi. The first is off-menu but always available.

[QAW]

How about this for a nice twist - they are even doing khao soi now with braised short ribs. The epitome of comfort food now that we are getting into December, when even the Las Vegas evenings get a bit cooler.A person could even do an entire evening of Sea Bass. They are serving it in a Tom Yum soup now; which could be followed by the Sea Bass Som Thum; and then the Hoh Mok Sea Bass and Sea Bass with Drunken Noodles.

[Dave Feldman]

Saipin has been experiencing more in the past year than ever before. I've never heard of khao soi with short ribs, but I'm game! I'd think that it would be too fatty for khao soi, but I'm she she has worked out a solution. I know that most of the staff prefers khao soi with beef more than with chicken, but I'm not sure I agree. Why not pork? I think that would work, too.

A sea bass tasting menu. What a wonderful idea. Think of all the different flavors in those four dishes.

[janetofreno]

I have never ordered sea bass at LOS, largely because I feel guilty that it might be a bit politically incorrect. But I confess: when I had dinner there with my friends the other night we had the Hoh Mok Sea Bass after we each picked a dish and my friend really wanted to try it. It was the most delicious thing I've eaten in a long time!!! Even his 15 month old twins ate every bite they were given, and made it clear they wanted more!

Another dish my friends ordered that I had never tried was an appetizer that consisted of shrimp wrapped with bacon and then some kind of wonton skin (I forget the name of the dish of course..). It was deep fried..like an egg roll, but so much better......

[susancinsf]

actually, black sea bass, which may well be, indeed probably is, what is in the dish at LOS, is fine from a sustainability standpoint.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr...

The issue is that many other fishes are often called 'bass' even though they really aren't. (ie chilean sea bass, which isn't sea bass at all, and sometimes various types of snappers). Just ask the server what type of sea bass it is if you are worried: I imagine at a place like LOS they know the source and specific species.

In any event, it sounds delicious!

[Dave Feldman]

Unless it has changed, LOS does serve black sea bass. Blll is quite sensitive about the whole notion of sustainability re: seafood and one of the reasons he doesn't carry some fish.

[xena1441]

How far is Lotus from the strip? We won't have a car- how much is it for the cab ride? We are from DC and have great Thai here...do you still recommend the place?

[Dave Feldman]

Xena,

LOS is a little less than a mile east from the Sahara or Las Vegas Hilton, but obviously much farther from mid- or south-Strip. Cab prices would obviously vary depending upon where you were leaving from.

As for the second part of your question -- I have never found Thai in DC or Maryland that satisfied me, although years ago I had some decent Thai in Virginia.

LOS is my favorite place to eat in Las Vegas, and it's certainly the best Thai I've ever eaten in a restaurant. Events have conspired so that I haven't been to Las Vegas in more than a year, As long as Bill & Saipin are running the restaurant, I'm confident in recommending it.

[breezey]

Resurrecting this thread rather than start a new one. At last, after years of going to Las Vegas during trade shows and planned dinners, we are finally going to have some free nights, so it's time for finally try LOS. Having just looked at the very extensive menu, am hoping for some recommendations as to what to order (no pork please).

[Dave Feldman]

The menu is just too big and the specials too multifarious to have just a few picks, especially without knowing your preferences. Would be happy to respond to specific requests. If not, maybe this thread will help: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4871...

[BChow]

Dave, I've always been very happy at LOS when we asked that the chef create a meal for us and match the wine. Maybe I'm just lazy but it has always worked out.

[HoosierFoodie]

Look at the menu, tell them what you like don't like (i.e., , no pork) and tell them to start bringing food. If you have preferences (I always get the nom kao tod) tell them. I've had great luck sampling and letting them go. Ask for Bank he's never steered us wrong but no on there ever has.

[breezey]

Excellent ideas regarding asking them to create a meal and bring food basd on our preferences.

And thanks Dave for the link with the review. BTW always enjoy reading your posts.

[Dave Feldman]

Definitely feel comfortable asking for guidance, and a combo of dishes you really want to try and their suggestions work well. You might want to ask what specials are available. The menu is awfully long, so it's worth doing some research before you visit, as you've already done. It has been a long time since I've been to the LOS website, and it's looking downright spiffy these days: http://www.saipinchutima.com/#/HOME-0...

If you get a chance, I'd love to hear a report about your food adventures in Las Vegas. Have fun.

[wew]

Dave Feldman and anybody
My brother has always loved LOS, Chao Thai, and Jitlada, but now is downed by onion and chili allergies. Are the BBQ items at LOS enough of a draw? Any other dishes?

[Dave Feldman]

As someone whose favorite vegetable is the onion, and who has more than a passing lust for chilies, I really feel for your brother.

A few thoughts: I've taken friends with various allergies and preferences to LOS. One of them is deathly allergic to garlic, and she was almost weeping at getting such flavorful food without garlic (an ingredient that she loves). I'm assuming they could do a similar thing with onions, so one option is to try preferred dishes without onions, if possible. As all but a couple of dishes are made to order, it could be done, but your brother might prefer foregoing dishes that are normally made with onions.

Same deal with chilies. Another friend wanted a 0 in heat on their scale of 1-10 (i.e., no chilies), not because of an allergy, and again they complied. I was curious to try her food, and with all the fresh herbs, the food was tasty.

My problem is that I don't know what foods besides the barbecues don't contain essential chilies or onions. I'm really curious about this question. If you'd email me (address is in my profile), I'd be happy to try to find out and report back to you and on this thread.

The barbecued beef is delicious without the sauce, but there is some sort of marinade, which I would not be shocked has onion in it. The barbecued catfish can be ordered with either a lime-chili sauce or a tamarind sauce. Both are delicious (I know that there is normally chili in the sauce that goes with the barbecued chicken).

The allergies might wipe out the soups and the salads (I'm not even sure about that), but I'll bet your brother can still have a great meal.

[Dave Feldman]

This is an old thread and Shamu just posted some photos, so it has been resurrected. I realize now that wew contacted me privately and neither of us ever posted here the answer to his query.

It turns out that omitting chilies is not an issue with a single dish at LOS, one of the big advantages to having food made to order. But chilies are always added to dishes at the end of their preparation anyway. I have ordered dishes at zero for some chili-averse friends (off the normal 1-10 scale), and indeed there was no heat at all (but still plenty of flavor).

What surprised me more is that onions, too, can be easily omitted (even if they might be missed as much as chilies). Literally the only dishes that can't be easily served with no onions are some of the soups, because onions are used in the stock. If you ask a waiter, he or she can ask the kitchen which soups are "safe."

Last month, I ate with someone who had an extreme gluten intolerance. LOS is used to this problem, and came through with flying colors, including making a special gluten-free nam kao tod.

[kagemusha49]

Hey Dave are you sure about Chilis always being added last? In Indian cooking the spices get cooked first. In Chinese cooking everything gets cooked so fast it hardly matters. I've never cooked Thai personally (as opposed to the other 2 I mentioned) and have no actual experience of the speed and sequence of events. I guess it's closer to Chinese in technique than Indian.

[Dave Feldman]

I had a long talk about this subject with Saipin and Bank, and they were both emphatic on this subject. I've hosted some banquets at LOS where the kitchen has brought out identical dishes with three different levels of heat, and this explains how they can do it.

[shamu613]

I gleaned this list from past threads regarding LOS and emailed it to myself. Whenever we go to LOS, I just print it out and take the list with us.

Tom Kah Kai (Bangkok Style Soup)

somtom sea bass, a green papaya salad with huge chunks of sea bass, along with red grapes, matchsticks of green apple, and perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes.

shrimp curry with cognac sauce (regular special)

drunken noodles with chicken

Hoh mok plar is one of my favorite dishes at LOS -- pieces of catfish with egg, cabbage, with a judicious amount of coconut milk and curry.

kang hung lay (northern pork stew)

There are actually two different pork dishes on the nothern menu - the Kang Hun Lay is meat without vegetables, in a curry with some Burmese/Indian overtones that has a hint of sweetness, some of that coming from roasted garlic (you will usually find several whole cloves per order). The other is Kang Hoh, which relies more on dry spice, but does have glass noodles and some other vegetables with it.

Prawns Ocha

House special crispy garlic shrimp. It is not on the menu so you have to ask for it. They take prawns peel the shells but still keep them on. Cover in coarsely chopped garlic and fried up. The shells get so crispy that they are like really thin potato chips.

Seared Scallops with Red Curry (the sweetness of fresh scallops and the hottest of their curries plays so well together; there is usually a slight touch of cognac to balance this out, similar to their Salmon Panang).

Andy

[JoeyH]

Last time we had a duck dish that was fantastic. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly which one it was. The staff is always happy to give recommendations.

[Missmoo]

I believe the dish is Duck Panang. It's excellent! One of the best things I've ever eaten. If the name is wrong I can add that it is duck in a cognac curry sauce.

[shamu613]

Food porn! Including three plates of all the deserts.

We were such pigs.

[Galaxy Girl]

Thanks for posting this!! We'll be hitting LOS on the 4th. And I will be printing off your list and bringing them with me. Spice level 9, I cannot even imagine that. Bet the BF will give that a go.

I take it they get super busy, reservations definitely a must, right? Thanks!

[Dave Feldman]

Mangoes are finally in!

[azwino]

Thanks for this. Could you tell me what each of these dishes are? Thanks.

[shamu613]

http://www.saipinchutima.com/menu.pdf

Top row

#1. NAM KAO TOD-Crispy rice mixed with minced sour
sausage, green onion, fresh chili, ginger, peanuts, and lime
juice. – 7.95

#2. Prawns Ocha. House special crispy garlic shrimp. It is not on the menu so you have to ask for it. They take prawns peel the shells but still keep them on.
Cover in coarsely chopped garlic and fried up. The shells get so crispy
that they are like really thin potato chips.

#3. CRISPY DUCK B: with PANANG-Crispy duck topped with Thai style red cream
curry sauce with cognac. – 19.95

#4. BRAISED SHORT RIB with PANANG- Braised short rib topped
with Thai style red cream curry sauce with cognac. – 18.95

Second Row.

#1. 119. THAI FRIED RICE-Stir fried with egg, onion, tomato and
your choice of meat. Chicken, Pork or Beef -- 8.95

#2. 67. KANG RENU NAKORN-This unique Issan style red
curry is a combination of local vegetables, your choice of
chicken or catfish chunk (with skin), without coconut
milk. -- 8.95

#3. RED SNAPPER – Price depend on size
A: with CHILI MINT LEAVES- Deep fried whole red snapper
topped with homemade fresh chili and Thai basil.

#4. 84. CATFISH WITH CURRY PASTE-Deep fried thin catfish slice
without bone sautéed with red curry paste, Kra-chai, fresh &
dry chili and coconut milk. -- 13.95

Third Row

Desserts
COCONUT ICE CREAM 3.00
STICKY RICE WITH MANGO 7.95
FRIED BANANA ROLL 7.50

There was 11 of us from a local meetup.com group. Reservations were made 6 weeks in advance. Total check was ~$350. $32 each. We had multiples of a few of the dishes. We also had five other dishes of which I didn't get photos. They started life at the other end of the table.

If there was a downside, it was that our group was squeezed into an 8-top. Mercifully, the wait staff timed the delivery of dishes well and picked up the empties promptly. One of our group did ask for their caution in not flooding the table with all the dishes at once.

[kevin]

that sounds awesome especially the crispy duck with thai red chili sauce.

[ns1]

OP, I found an older thread

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/395888

[Rubee]

A few more:

IMO The best Thai food ever (Lotus of Siam)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536238

LoS Vegas Recs please
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/425449

Vegas - Lotus of Siam review
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/487165

[ns1]

thanks!

[ns1]

bump because I'll be here in 4 days

[Steve Green]

Well, I've been there a few times. Everyone raves about the crispy rice and sour sausage appetizer (Nam Kao Tod), and it's pretty good, but I have my own favorites. I really like the Tom Kah Kai (soup w/sliced chicken, mushrooms, coconut milk, etc). For a main, I think the Nua Sao Renu (charbroiled beef with tamarind sauce) is a knockout dish. It's pictured on this page: http://www.saipinchutima.com/lotusspe...

Definitely skip the lunch buffet.

[erica]

I will second the tamarind beef recommendation! We liked our dinner here so much that we went back the next night and had the same dish! I asked for it spicy and they asked me what number on a scale of one to ten. A 9 got a nice level of heat...what a great dish! We arrived at 5:30 on both nights (weekdays) and by 6:30 the place was packed!

[Steve Green]

Wow -- you must like spicy food. 4 was about as hot as I could take, and I thought I had a normal tolerance for spiciness. I guess not.

[erica]

I do like spicy. But my dining partner cannot eat any spice at all. So we also had the pad see euw which was very good, and the fried pork strips for appetizer. I liked the beef with tamarind so much I brought some back on the plane with me!

I was amazed at all of the ethnic eateries we saw in LV! All those Asian shopping centers! (We are from NYC)

[Dave Feldman]

If you like the tamarind beef, inquire about whether they have short ribs as a special, which has some of the same luxurious taste.

[kevin]

cognac salmon is awesome.

the chicken wings.

the seabass with sage leaves and pad kee mao noodles.

the beef jerky. oh, the beef jerky.

i just can't resist this place and what to go there right now.