Lotus of Siam in LV: Ode to Excellent Thai Food Way Off the Strip, I'll Riesling Toast to That

I know Lotus of Siam in Vegas gets a lot of hype and you know how I feel about hype. While some were solid, I was disappointed at other dishes this time around. It was the third or fourth time I'd been to this shrine of Thai food in a nondescript strip mall off the Strip. It had significantly expanded its digs to more than double its original size and I was worried the food would be diluted along with this growth.

Here's the good: the fried sea bass stir fried with "drunken" rice noodles. The crunchiness of the sea bass pieces was a great complement to the satisfying carb load of the rice noodles that had a subtle kick to them.

We also loved the soft shelled crab salad that came with toasted cashews, green papaya and also had a nice citrusy kick. It was garnished with some fresh cilantro sprigs and chilies that are best kept away from unless you like fire in your mouth. The crab was conveniently cut up into small pieces and once again, it was a triumph of crunch paired with other crunch like raw vegetables dressed in a light lemony and spicy sauce.

My next favorite thing was the crab fried rice. It was light on the crab but still fluffy and comforting as all fried rice dishes should be. It also came with tomato, onions and egg.

The jack fruit curry with ground pork was far too salty, even for a sodium fiend like me. As they say in Korea, it was a "rice thief," meaning you crave a ton of rice because it's so salty. And it goes well together too. I could only have so much though.

The papaya salad starter was refreshing and good for the summer. It also had toasted peanuts and forgettable tomato slices.

The one big disappointment was the crispy rice salad, or Nam Kao Tod that also had pork sausage cubs, green onions and a healthy dose of spice. It was dry and most definitely nothing to write home about. I would not get this dish again.

The desserts were solid but nothing too special. The mango with sticky rice doused with coconut milk and toasted rice was just ok. The mango wasn't as ripe and sweet as it should be. I liked a version formerly served at Sophy's in Long Beach, a Cambodian joint that sadly no longer serves this superb dessert.

The fried banana in wonton wrappers was good, although at the risk of sounding obnoxious, I like the ones I make with dulce de leche inside better. Adding dulce de leche to anything just makes it so much better.

While decent value for LV, some dishes weren't cheap for a Thai restaurant (The sea bass noodles dish was $30, for instance) but I will return for more when I go to LV next. Great Riesling wine list. Loved the one we got, which was a Leitz Dragonstone from Germany.

SinBala in Arcadia: Glistening Pork Belly Cubes and Lovely Dumplings

I'm not that familiar with Taiwanese food so it was with much anticipation that I went to SinBala in Arcadia. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since the last time I had stinky tofu hot pot -- a Taiwanese staple, I'm told -- I didn't like it. I need not have feared.

The perfectly braised cubes of pork belly dotted a rice dish that came with strips of bamboo shoots and fried tofu, all topped with sprigs of fresh cilantro. What a deceptively simple dish that combines the porkyness from the meat with the stringy bamboo shoots and softness of the tofu. They were all seasoned similarly with a soy sauce-based sauce that was equally delicious. The pork belly pieces were tender, as they should be, after having been slow cooked for hours.

The pork and shrimp dumplings were a revelation that later inspired me to make dumplings at home to mixed success. I'm usually super picky with my dumplings because either the quality of the meat used isn't on par and it smells too porky (and not in a good way) or it tastes too doughy with the skin. But these dumplings were ethereal -- light and fluffy. The filling was so flavorful and best of all, it wasn't too dry and didn't even need a dipping sauce because it came with some nicely seasoned liquid. Another unusual topping: ground nuts or some kind of nutty goodness and freshly diced scallions. Everything fell right into place. I venture to say this was my favorite dish.

Then there was fried chicken. The cut pieces of chicken were crunchy and perfectly seasoned. I'm totally in love with this place at this point. How can everything be so good?

We got the spicy sausage made in-house and they were very juicy and salty but not overly so and sprinkled with some dried pepper flakes that added yet another dimension both in terms of flavor (subtly spicy) and texture (crunch) to the sausages. Sure, they were on the heavy side but then again, they were sausages made with pork fat, after all. I didn't mind at all. Would make a great breakfast dish, perhaps without the pepper flakes. I've been having a hard time finding good breakfast sausage so this is a good find.

It's a shame it's so far away from where I live and work but I'd like to return as many times as I can so I could try everything on the menu. It's that good.