Las Vegas Restaurant Blog

As Thai food gains more popularity amongst diners in Western Society, more and more self proclaimed experts seem to be popping out of the wood works to taking advantage of the trend, and in most cases misinforming the public, in order to put in their two cents on their version of what constitutes good Thai food.

There are plenty of articles on how to eat Thai food. Most of them are pretty creative. It’s almost as creative as the recommendations by Western Journalist on their version of a great Thai restaurant.

“I received an email last week that told me Mars would be as big as the moon in August,” I laughed. “Sometimes you have to look up information beyond a single source.”

A more reliable source, would be to read the article written by Palin Chongchinant. It was published by last month in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chongchinant is a native of Thailand, and he offered up his “”wet, dry, yum, spicy” rule. One “wet” dish like soup or curry. One “dry” dish like a stir-fry or anything served on a plate. One “yum” dish, which is his phrasing for salad. And one “spicy” dish.

“A great part of the piece is when he mentions that rice should be thought of as a canvas on which to paint each bite,” “I enjoyed reading it because I know where that comes from. The indigenous people of Thailand didn’t start using utensils until the 19th century.”

As a result, he says, many traditional dishes created prior to the 19th century were made with the intent to be pressed into small balls with the fingers and then dipped into bite-sized pieces. European spoons and forks came later. Their adoption is often credited to King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V), who was educated by an Englishwoman. Their legend was portrayed by Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat in a 1999 Motion Picture released by 20th Century Fox, “Anna and the King”.

The knife never became popular, because the food is already served cut. Chinese spoons were later adopted for soups; chopsticks are seldom used, with the exception of individual noodle bowls.

It might seem like a small thing, but the introduction of metal utensils, civility and class to dining in the Thai Kingdom, also started to influence much of the cooking, “It reveals why jasmine rice became so important to Thai cuisine. Not only for the taste, but because it is the canvas our ancestors painted on.”

Jasmine rice, which is native to Thailand, carries a nutty aroma and has a sweet taste. It tends to cling when cooked, but is less sticky than other rices used in Asia. It is a distinct white fluffy rice. One cup (200 grams) of cooked jasmine rice has about 205 calories.

Most Thai food recipes consider 3/4 cup of rice (cooked) to equal one serving, but some Thai restaurants serve based on Chinese portions with different rice. Livestrong has featured it as a top food, probably because it has less starch compared to other Asian Rice.

In Modern day Thailand, and in traditional authentic Las Vegas Thai restaurants, Thai people dine with both hands, using forks to push food onto the spoon. However, we all can agree with Chongchinant. Unless you’re trying to impress someone with some knowledge about their culture, it’s best to eat whatever way makes you comfortable and happy.

To get more dining experiences with authentic Thai food in Las Vegas visit KungFu Plaza Thai-Chinese Restaurant located at 3505 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89103, or Call 702-247-4120 for reservations more information or for driving directions

Last Missing element to Thai food is served at a Las Vegas Restaurant.

KungFu Plaza, a Las Vegas Restaurants serving Thai food and Chinese food, has finally announced that a new Distilled Spirit from Thailand has become available in the United States, and that they are finally introducing “Mekhong” a Thai whiskey well known throughout Southeast Asia, that will greatly enhance diners experience and improve their enjoyment of Thai food.

Patrons of KungFu Plaza will be able to start ordering New Exotic drinks like “Khing Khong”, “Burning Love”, “Meh-Jito”, “Sweet-Solada”, or “Sabai Sabai”, to name a few, that were created by bartenders throughout the United States, using “Mekhong” a spirit named after one of the world’s major rivers. Starting from the Tibetan Plateau, Mekhong runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The original recipe has been kept secret since 1941, when it was first introduced in Siam, present-day Thailand. Made mostly from indigenous sugar canes, rice, Thai herbs and spices, Mekhong has a distinctively rounder texture, a delightful aroma with a smooth and balanced taste compared to other spirits. The flavor is both spicy and sweet, with hints of ginger, honey, toffee, vanilla, floral, herbs and citrus. At a 35% alcohol by volume it’s an ideal spirit for mixing flavorful tropical infused cocktails.

Imported by International Beverage, Mekhong was given to trendy bartenders throughout the East coast, in an effort to concoct exotic tropical cocktails more suited to western taste buds.
Some of the more famous drinks created by “The Back Room in New York City”, is called “The Red Light District”, and has 1.5oz of Mekhong-.5oz fresh lemon juice-1.0oz Strawberry Liquor-1 fresh Strawberry-a red chili pepper. “Bangkok Bang”, created by Coco Asian Bistro & Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, uses 1.5oz Mekhong-Slice of Mango-a Lime wheel slice-2 mint leaves-7up/Sprite.

Mr. Wong, founder of Kung Fu Plaza, has been waiting for this day, ever since we first started serving the best Thai food in Las Vegas back in 1973. Until now, beer was the preferred choice when pairing drinks to Thai Food¹, although there are many good Western Spirits on the market, none are made to complement the curries, mints and spices, which are prevalent in the ingredients of Thai food. “Most Spirits, like Jack Daniels, or Johnny Walker Black Label are made for meat and potato dinners. It always taste like something’s missing when we have Crown Royal with our Curries, instead of complementing the meal it seems to be contradicting each other in terms of after taste”. “Now we can finally put down the rich fiery taste of Thai food like it was meant to be put down, with a Khing Khong, an ounce of Mekhong with Coke.”

To see more cocktail recipes with Mekhong, visit http://www.thespiritofthailand.com. Mekhong is imported by International Beverage Holdings Ltd USA and is headquartered at 275 Madison Ave Suite 1718. New York, NY 10016. For more information, call 01-646-896-3809

To review a menu consisting of more than 800 Thai food and Chinese food dishes, visit http://www.kungfuplaza.com. Kung Fu Plaza delivers within a five-mile radius, which also includes the resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and is located at 3505 S. Valley View Blvd., which is just west of the Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip. For more information, inquires, or to make reservations, call 702-247-4120.

Founded in 1973, Kung Fu Plaza is the oldest and most authentic Chinese food-Thai food restaurants in Las Vegas. We’re open everyday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Our average entree is under $10 and most of our guest prefer to order and dine family style.

¹ About.com Guide to Thai Food

More Mekhong recipes from Bartenders throughout the United States.

> Burning Love @ Elizabeth in NYC
>
> 2 oz Mekhong Thai Spirit
> ½ oz burnt Drambuie
> 1 oz simple syrup
> ½ oz lemon juice
> ½ oz lime juice
> Peychaud’s bitters
> Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters
> Garnish with a saddled red tulip bulb
>
> Combine all ingredients in a tall mixing tin, including the bitters,
> excluding the Drambuie, shake vigorously and set aside. Pour ½ oz
> Drambuie in a doubled mini tin and ignite with a match or lighter. (A
> match is preferable to avoid gas expose. A doubled mini tin is important
> to protect the hands against heat.) Pour ignited Drambuie directly from
> the mini tins into a coup or cocktail glass. The spirit should remain
> aflame inside the glass. Briefly re-shake and Hawthorn strain cold
> mixture on top of flaming Drambuie, dousing the flames. Garnish with a
> saddled red tulip bulb.
>
>
> Red Light District @ The Back Room in NYC:
>
> 1 1/2 oz. Mekhong Thai Spirit
> 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
> 1 oz. simple syrup
> 1 oz. strawberry liquor
> 1 large fresh strawberry
> 1 medium red chili pepper
>
> Muddle fresh strawberry and red chili pepper. Combine in shaker with
> Mekhong, strawberry liquor, lemon juice and simple syrup and shake
> vigorously. Pour over large ice cubes in teacup or short glass. Option
> to garnish with a fresh strawberry.
>
> Mekhong Southern Thai Swizzle
> John Freeman, the head bartender at Elizabeth in Manhattan, plays on
> Mekhong’s kinship with rum by making it the basis of a Caribbean-style
> Swizzle.
>
> 1 oz. Mekhong
> 1 oz. Velvet Falernum
> 1 oz. fresh lime juice
> 1 oz. simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
> 2 dashes Fee Bros. peach bitters
> 2 dashes Fee Bros. Aztec chocolate bitters
> Ice crushed
> Tools: shaker, strainer, swizzle stick or bar spoon
> Glass: highball
> Garnish: You could use a lime wedge, peach skin twist, or chocolate
> candy stick.
>
> Combine Mekhong, falernum, lime juice and syrup with ice and shake.
> Strain contents into a glass filled with finely crushed ice. Aerate the
> cocktail in the highball glass by swiftly rotating a swizzle stick or a
> barspoon between the palms of the hands. Add bitters and stir to mix.
>
>
> Bangkok Bang (Created by Coco Asian Bistro & Bar, 1841 Cordova Road,
> Fort Lauderdale)
>
> 1 1/2 shots Mekhong
> 1 large slice of mango
> 1 lime wheel slice
> 2 mint leaves
> Sprite/7 up
>
> Directions: muddle mango and mix in shaker with Mekhong, Sprite/7 up and
> mint leaves, shake and pour into Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish
> with lime wheel and serve with a straw.
>
> Mekhong Mule, Koh Samui & The Monkey,San Francisco
>
> This riff on the classic, vodka-based Moscow Mule was invented by Max
> Johnson and Raffy Swangchaeng, bartenders at the Thai restaurant Koh
> Samui & The Monkey in San Francisco. It uses Domaine de Canton ginger
> liqueur instead of
> ginger beer.
>
> 1 1/2 oz. Mekhong
> 1 oz. Creme de Cassis
> 1/2 oz. Domaine de Canton
> Juice of a half a lemon
> 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
> ice cubes
> Tools: shaker, strainer, mix glass and high ball glass
> Garnish: lemon slice and cucumber slice on a skewer
>
> INSTRUCTIONS
> Mix Mekhong, Creme de Cassis, Domaine de Canton, lemon juice and Regan’s
> Orange
> Bitters in mixing glass with ice cubes and shake. Strain contents into a
> new glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with lemon slice and cucumber
> slice on a skewer.
>
>
> Bangkok Buck, Freemans, New York City
>
> Bangkok Buck
> This drink, created by Yana Volfson, has proved to be one of the most
> popular drinks at Manhattan’s trendy Freemans.
>
> 2 oz. Mekhong
> A small, fresh ginger root peeled and cut into small pieces
> 1 1/2 oz. fresh pineapple juice
> 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
> small ice cubes
> Tools: muddler, shaker, strainer, bar spoon
> Glass: highball
> Garnish: TK drops of Angostura bitters
>
> Muddle peeled cut up ginger, add Mekhong and shake vigorously small ice
> cubes. Strain into ice cube filled glass. Stir in pineapple and lime
> juices and garnish.
>
> Yana Volfson, Freemans, New York City
>
> Meh-jito
>
> 2 shots Mekhong
> 1 ½ shots Fresh squeezed Lime Juice
> 3 bar spoons of sugar
> Finger pinch of fresh mint leaves
> 3 Thumbnail size pieces of Fresh Ginger root
> Club Soda
>
>
> Directions: Muddle Ginger, mint and sugar in a Collins Glass. Add
> */Mekhong/* and lime juice. Add ice and cover with a shaker tin. Shake
> briefly and vigorously. Top off with Club Soda and a dash of Bitters.
> Serve long with a straw.
>
>
> Bangkok
>
> 3 shots Mekhong
> 1 shot sweet (Italian) Vermouth
> ¾ shot Benedictine
> Orange twist
>
> Directions: Pour Mekhong and the rest of the ingredients into a mixing
> glass. Add ice and stir for 35-40 revolutions. Strain into a chilled
> martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
>
> Based on the Manhattan
>
> Thailand Daiquiri
>
> 1 ½ shots Mekhong
> ¾ shots Fresh squeezed lime juice
> ¾ shots Maraschino Liqueur
> ½ shots Passion fruit puree
>
> Directions: Pour Mekhong and the rest of the ingredients into a mixing
> glass. Add Ice and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a
> chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with half orange wheel and a
> cherry.
>
> Based on the Daiquiri
>
>
> Sweet Solada
> 2 shots Mekhong
> 1 ½ shots Coconut puree
> 1 shot Pineapple puree
> ½ shot Fresh squeezed Lime Juice
> Crushed ice
>
> Directions: Pour Mekhong and the rest of the ingredients into a mixing
> glass. Add Ice and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a
> balloon glass over crushed ice and garnish with a pineapple spear,
> orange, cherry and pineapple leaves.
>
> Based on the Pina Colada
>
> Lime and Pear Panya
>
> 2 shots Mekhong
> ¾ shot fresh squeezed Lime Juice
> ½ shot Elderflower cordial
> 1 bar spoon of sugar
> ¼ fresh pear cut lengthwise
> 3 thumbnail sized slices of fresh ginger root
> ½ Kaffir lime leaf
>
> Directions: In a mixing glass muddle the pear, ginger and sugar into a
> paste. Add Mekhong and the rest of the ingredients. Add Ice and shake
> vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a rock glass over ice. Garnish
> with torn Kaffir lime leaf.
>
> Fruit Tasanee
>
> 2 shots Mekhong
> 1 shot Fresh squeezed Lime Juice
> 1 shot Cointreau
> Cucumber wheels
> Seasonal Thai fruits (watermelon, tangerine, pomelo, longan etc.)
> Ginger ale
>
> Directions: Combine Mekhong, Cointreau, lime juice, mint, fruits and
> cucumber in a Collins Glass. Add Ice and cover with a shaker tin. Shake
> briefly and vigorously. Top of with Ginger Ale. Serve long with a straw.

Authentic Thai Restaurant Supports Las Vegas Community For Mother’s Day

While many restaurants offer Mother’s Day brunches and specials, Kung Fu Plaza, which is the oldest and most authentic Chinese restaurant and Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada, has adopted an Eastern tradition for Mother’s Day. Kung Fu Plaza has become a supporter of the United Way this year.

“Mother’s Day in Mainland China and Thailand is celebrated much like it is here in the United States, although Thailand observes Mother’s Day on August 12,” says Alan Wong, general manger of Kung Fu Plaza. “What is a bit different is both countries honor mothers and also focus their attention on the poor and less fortunate.”

In China, Project Happiness is one of several projects designed to help mothers in that country’s poverty-stricken areas. And in Thailand, August 12 was commemorated to honor the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who is regarded as the mother of all Thai people because of Her Majesty’s benevolence toward the needy and poor in the Kingdom.

China and Thailand have also adopted elements of Mother’s Day from the west. In addition to helping curb poverty, sons and daughters in China honor their mothers with carnations on the second Sunday in May. Carnations were chosen because the flower’s dense petals, has come to symbolize a mother’s care, and love. In Thailand, they give white jasmine flowers or garlands to their mothers on August 12 as a symbol of maternal love, and continued devotion to their Mothers.

“Mother’s Day in Thailand is one of the most beautiful event taking place annually. People all around the Kingdom of Thailand raise their flags and decorate their homes with the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and local Thai and foreign organizations decorate with garlands and colorful lights,” says Wong. “Of course, most of the world, including China, celebrates on the second Sunday in May, just like we do in the United States. While people offer many suggestions to make Mother’s Day more like China’s observance, simply sharing a meal with the entire family and friends is always appreciated by mothers everywhere.”

Wong, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Thailand via China in the 1960s, says both cultures embraced Mother’s Day because of their respect for elders and family. He says it feels good to introduce their contributions to this special day, specifically the support they extend their communities to help poor mothers as well.

Kung Fu Plaza maintains a menu that includes almost 800 dishes, predominantly from China and Thailand. The menu selection represents one of the most expansive Chinese and Thai menus in the region. To review a complete menu, visit Las-Vegas-Restaurant-Menu.

Founded in 1973, Kung Fu Plaza is the oldest and most authentic Chinese food and Thai food restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information and to make reservations, call 702-247-4120.