Las Vegas really is the city that never sleeps. After seeing a late night show I was hungry. However, I was not quite sure what I was hungry for. As I traveled between Bally’s and The Paris Hotel I came across Yong Kang Street. This is a Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant that was nestled between shops that had the façade of a Paris street.
They were extremely crowded that late at night. I was really excited when I saw the dim sum carts moving around the restaurant. I could not wait to select a few things.
The Lo Mai Gai (sticky rice) was the first thing I pointed to. It had been years since I got to enjoy sticky rice. This rice is steamed in a lotus leaf. What makes the rice sticky is the actual type of rice used. It is glutinous rice that becomes very sticky when cooked.
I unwrapped the lotus leaf like wrapping paper on a Christmas present. The hot steam poured out very quickly. This type of rice is really easy to eat with chopsticks, so if there are folks out there that normally find chopsticks a challenge this is the dish for you.
The rice had a wonderful sweet taste. The saltiness came from the chopped up pieces of Chinese sausage that was cooked inside the rice. The flavor combinations were perfect together and a great start to the meal.
The next item I pulled off the dim sum cart was the Siu Mai. This is another type of Chinese dumpling that is a traditional dim sum dish. It is “open face” were part of the filling is exposed. I got the pork Siu Mai. The chopped up pork also had chopped up pieces of shrimp. They are then topped with a little salmon roe. When I took a bite there was a great, savory taste from the pork. The shrimp added a little extra texture. The wrapper did not add any flavor, it just help everything together.
A dim sum meal would not be complete without some steamed pork dumplings (or pot stickers). The pork filling was very tender and different from the filling in the Siu Mai. They mixed in some extra spices that had a slight peppery taste. The dumpling taste even better when dipped in the sweet soy sauce that comes with it.
Now all of these dishes sounded like a lot of food but they were all small bites that were perfect for sharing. I wanted one more thing for myself. I had to get the Hong Kong Wonton Soup. This is not your typical local Chinese restaurant wonton soup. What I love about Hong Kong style is in addition to the actual won ton dumplings, the chicken broth is loaded with noodles, fresh shrimp, bok choy, broccoli, and mushrooms.
The bok choy added crunch and the mushrooms added an earthy taste. The won tons were very tender and had lemongrass accents. This created an extremely fresh taste. The shrimp added more protein. The noodles had to be eaten with chopsticks because they were so long. They also soaked up the flavor of the broth. It is an extremely filling soup.
Yong Kang Street was an amazing find inside The Paris Hotel and Casino. I never expected to find this authentic Chinese / Taiwanese restaurant in-between French pastry shops. I loved this place. I wanted to go back in order to try some other dishes and to get more sticky rice!
Check them out at www.yongkangstreet.com
Enjoy!
T
