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| - Whenever I'm on an extended lunch break at work, I always try to take advantage of driving across the strip and into Spring Mountain for some noodles and usually it's a tossup between Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Noodle Pot, Japenese ramen at Monta, or the Hong Kong wonton noodle soup at Asian BBQ. I decided to go off book today given the scorching temperatures outside and opted for the Korean cold noodles known as bibim naeng-myun at Mother's, located in the massive strip mall that houses Ranch 99 and various other good eats.
There is definitely a serene ambience as one walks into this zen-like oasis in the desert where the clientele is definitely more old school so I would definitely take a fellow colleague here if I wanted to do a power business lunch or catch up with an old friend over quiet conversation. The staff is polite but not overreaching, and classical music plays overhhead rather than tv monitors blaring hypermanic Asian pop music.
The meal began with some tasty banchan, and the selection was a nice balance of sweet, spicy, and tart....much like the imminent pièce de résistance. Upon presentation of the bibim naeng-myun, a little rack consisting of squirt bottles of vinegar and hot mustard was placed to the side for additional flavoring. There's a fine line between genius and insane, and the concept and look of this dish tiptoes that line beautifully. Who would have thought to take resilient translucent sweet-potato starch noodles, place them in a cold broth with crushed ice (!), serve alongside thin slices of beef, julienned cucumbers and pickled radish, throw in some asian pear slices, add some sweet/spicy chili paste and place a hard-boiled egg on top of it all? Yet it all works and the result is completely refreshing and satisfying in terms of temperature, texture, and taste. If revenge is a dish best served cold, this is one of the best ways one can strike back against the Vegas heat.
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