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| - The renowned Lotus of Siam was a definite stop for the fiancée and me on our trip to Las Vegas. We went for lunch on a Friday afternoon arriving a little before 1 PM. As mentioned by many other reviewers, Lotus of Siam is located in a sketchy-looking strip mall off of Sahara. Unlike some others, though, we thankfully avoided being accosted by panhandlers likely because it was midday in July and we cabbed over from the Hard Rock (approx. $20 ride with tip), which let us off right at the front door. Once inside, Lotus of Siam looked like pretty much every other family run Thai restaurant, although it was, perhaps, a bit larger and definitely more decked out with photos of celebs who've eaten there.
For lunch, Lotus of Siam offers an AYCE buffet as well its full menu. Skip the buffet. We looked it over, but it was the standard fare you see on every Thai buffet line. Instead, we elected to go with ordering off of the menu, which was more difficult than you'd think with over 150 various dishes to be found on its encyclopedic menu. We started off with the Nam Kao Tod. The complex mélange of crispy rice, minced pork, green onions, fresh chilis, ginger, peanuts and lime juice was as tasty as it's been described by countless Yelpers. Next, we had the Kang Ka Noon, a northern style curry made with young jack fruit chunks, with pork. Not being familiar with northern Thai cuisine and jack fruit, we took a leap of faith on this dish. Our faith was rewarded with deliciousness, although it was definitely less spicy or "curry-like" than our preconceived notions of a Thai curry dish. Finally, we had the Sea Bass on Drunken Noodle. The sea bass was delicately deep fried, then topped with a fresh chili and Thai basil sauce and served over pan fried, flat rice noodles. The fish was moist. The sauce was spicy and flavorful. The noodles were perfectly pan fried, still tender, without dryness or rubberiness.
Lotus of Siam may be overhyped, but damn if it wasn't the best Thai food I can ever recall having! The ingredients were fresh and the flavors and colors were bold and bright. Given that there are well over a hundred items we still haven't tried, it's a sure thing that we'll be back.
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