We were in Vegas, staying at The Strat. And seeing as our travels coincided with Lunar New Year, we thought to celebrate a little early at their in-hotel Asian restaurant: Chi.
We were seated in an area decorated like a tool shed with an assortment of said tools hanging on the wall and bikes mounted adjacent. In a juxtaposition, across from us was a private room with a wooden lazy Susan and a crystal chandelier snaked like a caterpillar. This best represented the decor as a whole: a mix of dressy and casual. This also plays well into the menu, that is just as much of a mix. Yakisoba, pho, bulgogi fried rice, and orange chicken. Not authentic by any means, but reinterpretations with a focus on bold flavours.
We were sadly a couple of days too early for their limited edition Year of The Horse menu. This is a smaller offering with a bigger impact. A whole fried striped bass with scallion pancakes and noodles or rice. Peking Duck either whole or half with the same sides. And whole fruit and mango pudding for dessert. This all sounded amazing, and would have been wonderful to try. But alas, we were left ordering from their very substantial regular menu instead.
Expectations were set higher with a complimentary wet cloth to commence the meal with. This was a dehydrated tablet that expanded with the addition of water. A fun spectacle and a lovely way to start any meal.
Here, we got to meet the Chef, who treated us to an amuse bouche. This was not on the menu and thus furthering the feeling of an elevated dining experience to come.
What came before us was a beef wrap of sorts. Bulgogi beef wrapped around a thicker slice of flank steak, all covered in Thai sweet chilli sauce with scallion. The meat was soft and easy to chew through, the flavours equal parts spicy, savoury, salty, and tangy. This was a medley of Asian flavours that I have never encountered else were.
The rest of our meal was straight from the menu and a lot more casual. Familiar dishes, done in Chi’s Asian fusion style. But first, we started with hot tea.
A pot of looseleaf chrysanthemum tea was served with a side of lemon, and candied sugar and ginger on sticks to stir in. However, we found the tea lovely with bright florals as is, so enjoyed it alone.
The Spicy Cucumber Salad was sliced cucumber spheres stacked like lumber and topped with a Spicy Garlic and Chili Dressing. Sadly, the vegetable was water logged causing the sauce to dilute along with the flavour. This also resulted in soggy vegetable that was less appetizing texturally, more mash and the desired crispiness. I also found the cucumber bitter, whereas I was hoping for a refreshing start with this one. I did not get that.
It was a similar situation with the Charred Green Beans coated in a Hoisin Garlic Sauce and Chili Oil. Once again I expected crispy vegetable, but I got droopy bites. The beans were overcooked and soggier closer to the bottom of the plate. At least this was what I expected and there was more flavour from this, although I would have liked even more.
The Cantonese Spring Rolls were soggy at its centre, but at least crispy on the exterior. Stuffed with Vegetables and Scallions, and served with a Sweet Thai Chili Sauce for dipping. The sauce gave it its flavour. Here, I started thinking that the food might have been made ahead of time and then frozen, only to be thawed for frying to serve.
We had the Spicy Szechuan Dumplings with its sauce on the side, as my guest cannot take her food spicy. She also didn’t like their texture. This was a dense and hard dumpling. The ball of meat at its centre was packed so tightly that it made the dumpling hard to chew through. Admittedly I did find the texture off and the bite less enjoyable as a result. Pork and Shrimp filled with Garlic, Chili Crunch, Sesame Seeds, and Scallions. Once again the sauce gave this dumpling its flavour.
We both eyed and ordered the Oxtail Noodle as our individual main. It came with a general amount of large oxtail chunks, bobbing alongside Baby Bok Choy, Scallions, and Ginger in a dark broth. The soup drank leaner with one tone, I found this on the medicinal side, but drank it to flavour the noodles and meat. Here, I also added in some of the Chilli Crunch above for additional depth and excitement to the bowl.
My guest really liked the Alaskan Black Cod with its fragrant Sake and Miso Glaze, served with Charred Chinese Broccoli and a bowl of rice. The fish was light and salty, benefiting from both sides to help balance things out.
I was surprised by how much I liked the Beef Chow Fun with chunks of beef, Onions, Bean Sprouts, and Scallions. It was missing the char of a good wok fry, but other than that I liked what we had and finished it all.
In short, Chi is a great convenient spot for Asian food within The Strat, made with American and travelling palates in mind.
CHĪ Asian Kitchen
2000 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89104, United States
The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower
+1 702-380-7777
thestrat.com
