Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen
Strawberry Lemon Water
Whitefish Cake – Cucumber and sweet Chili Sauce
World Famous Spinach Salad – Tempura with lime dressing and chicken
Duck Breast Curry – Coconut Curry Sauce, Pineapple, Cherry Tomatoes, Thai Basil, Peppers
Island Bread Pudding with Coconut Rum Caramel Sauce and Coconut Ice Cream
Sharing a city with one of the most highly acclaimed Thai restaurants in the United States cannot be easy but with Lotus of Siam’s largely traditional menu routinely garnering hour-plus waits for both lunch and dinner it could also be said that Las Vegas is an ideal locale for something small, intimate, and innovative – a description defined by Chef Nittaya Parawong and her Secret Kitchen. Featuring a style described as “Thai Tapas” alongside traditional curries and noodles with each dish made by Nittaya herself and served by friendly Taiwanese servers in a modern yet elegant space a meal at Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen is a relaxed and refined affair beginning with complimentary flavored water and although the menu featured no less than a dozen items I’d have liked to try, the decision was made to start with a variety of tapas, appetizer, and curry plus dessert – each item prepared to order, ample in portion, and served with impeccable pacing. Intentionally incorporating fish, vegetable, and meat before progressing to dessert and focusing on the more innovative options both the crispy fish cakes and the tender duck breast would prove delicious and well prepared with light sweetness acting to temper the heat and moving on to the “famous” salad I really have no idea how the chef manages to produce a batter so light and a flavor so vegetal but whatever the method it should be embraced, the dish one of the best things I’ve eaten at a Thai restaurant and without a doubt the most innovative ‘salad’ I’ve had in years. Moving on to the dessert menu there was never really a question as to what I would order and with tender pineapple pudding rife with coconut milk custard topped off with both ice cream and caramel of the same I really cannot think of a better ‘Thai’ dessert, traditional or not, nor a better thing ever done with a coconut.
