On our third day (and final day with any restaurant reservations) we were feeling the effects of multiple tasting menus but tenaciously persevered to make it to some of our most anticipated destinations yet.
Gordon Ramsay Burger
A brisk walk to Planet Hollywood and we sat down for lunch at Gordon Ramsay Burger. I had their Truffle Burger, which was top-tier.
For a quick dessert we walked across the street to the Cosmopolitan and grabbed a slice of Milk Bar’s classic pie. The Las Vegas location seemed to mainly have pre-packaged items, so I’m still looking forward to one day visiting the original location in New York.
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Wing Lei
The culinary highlight of the week. An immaculate dining experience that is forever ingrained in my mind.
Located in the Wynn, Wing Lei originally received one Michelin star back when the Guide was still in Las Vegas, but I firmly believe it would be ranked higher if stars were still being awarded today.
Of the available options, we chose the Imperial Peking Duck tasting menu. The evening began with a small amuse-bouche before our Peking duck was wheeled out on a cart and carved tableside. The first dish was made in front of us with some of the carvings. We were then told the the rest of the duck would be returned to the kitchen to be used in the remaining dishes on the menu. We were not disappointed in the least!
Pomegranate gelée amuse-bouche
Pomegranate, foie gras
Powerful pomegranate flavor packed into a tiny drop of jelly.
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Peking duck crepes
Peking duck, Mandarin crepes
Peking duck by itself is very much it’s own experience. Other than incredibly flavorful and tender meat, the skin is unmatched in its crispiness. Seeing the duck carved tableside is a visual and auditory delight together. Serving the first carvings in simple crepes with cucumber and scallions was the perfect way to showcase the qualities of the duck.
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Peking duck salad
Peking duck, mesclun, peanut-truffle vinaigrette
The vinaigrette on this salad is something I hope I can recreate at home. The peanut and truffle elevate the greens with flavors far beyond what the salad might suggest at first glance.
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Duck shumai
Peking duck, foie gras, black truffle, morels
I’m not entirely sure how Wing Lei managed to make something like duck and foie gras taste so light, but it is a feat notably accomplished in these shumai. I wish I could have ordered a dozen more of these.
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Duck with braised eggplant and duck fried rice
Peking duck, eggplant, bell peppers, cauliflower, egg, sugar peas
The last two dishes arrived together and were plated tableside. I appreciate that Wing Lei opted to include fried rice on their menu. Something that looks deceptively simple becomes another dish entirely in this context. The rice wasn’t oily or dry, but instead rather light and brought the flavor of the duck to the forefront.
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Morello Cherry Delight
Morello cherry chocolate exterior, mascarpone and Morello cherry filling, white chocolate leaf, vanilla shortbread cookie
Easily our favorite dessert of the entire trip. The playful exterior belies an incredibly decadent interior with a mix of flavors that build on each other. It’s hard not to smile when a dessert like this is brought to the table.
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Interior of cherry
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Various sweets
We were also given a few mixed sweets to take with us to enjoy the next day.
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Wing Lei went above and beyond in every respect. From the time we entered to the moment we left, we saw only exceptional hospitality and professionalism. The atmosphere was both welcoming and highly refined. All of these things in addition to the world-class food being served make Wing Lei a dining experience worth travelling to see for yourself.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Las Vegas and hope to make it back out to the desert sometime to try all the other food we weren’t able to get to this time.
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