Michael Mina has five restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip (with a sixth on the way), but his latest opening is the chef’s most personal project yet. Orla is a different kind of Mediterranean restaurant, drawing heavily from Mina’s Egyptian heritage to repackage familiar food with robust, Middle Eastern flavors. The experiment is a huge success, giving the Strip a compelling culinary destination with an identity all its own.
Orla takes over the space formerly home to Fleur at Mandalay Bay. The open layout, tile decor and tall ceilings serve the atmosphere well with street lights and trees reflecting the feel of an outdoor promenade in Cairo. A curved bar operates on the perimeter, overseeing the activity of the dining room while serving up craft cocktails and a wine selection that’s heavy on European labels.
The kabob skewers are hard to resist, but seafood is the star of the menu with the influence of Egypt’s northern coast front and center. A fresh catch arrives daily with fish cooked lightly over apricot wood. Top entrees include salt-baked sea bream ($61) and snapper presented on a bed of potatoes with onion and fennel ($64).
A hearty fish fry ($56) taps into the street food culture of coastal Alexandria, along with a charcoal-grilled octopus appetizer ($26), based on a breakfast recipe with a poached egg and ful medames (dried fava beans that resemble Mexican refried beans).
The presence of Greek cuisine in Egypt dates back to the arrival of Alexander the Great more than 2,000 years ago, but there are subtle differences. The falafel at Orla, for example, is made with fava beans instead of chickpeas, based on a recipe by Mina’s mother.
Much like pineapples in Hawaii, mangoes are vibrant and plentiful in Egypt with more than two dozen varieties available. Mina features the fruit in a chilled lobster salad ($36) and kataifi-wrapped prawn appetizer ($28) with the string-like pastry adding welcome texture to the dish.
Another meze item, the Orla Salad ($19), appears to be a spin on a classic Waldorf, but simply utilizes ingredients common in Egypt like grapes, walnuts and celery, adding up to a crisp and clean combination that cleanses the palate for more vigorous flavors to come.
While Greek food is synonymous with olive oil, lemon, parsley and capers, Egyptian cuisine heavily features deep, earthy spices like cumin, coriander, saffron and turmeric. Each meal begins with a tableside bread service, accompanied by an aromatic box of spices that set the tone for an indulgent, but well-balanced meal.
Dessert highlights include an elaborate tableside frozen yogurt presentation (topped with honey, pistachio and seasonal fruit) and the sweet crunch of a banana wrapped in kataifi with macadamia nuts, cherries and a scoop of carob cocoa nib ice cream. Either option pairs well with a choice of Greek brandy.
Orla dramatically expands Michael Mina’s presence in Mandalay Bay, which also includes the chef’s recently renovated Stripsteak. Up next: the Las Vegas debut of Bourbon Steak in the adjacent Four Seasons with the three restaurants giving Mina an undeniable culinary sphere of influence in the south end of the Strip.
ORLA Mandalay Bay, 702-632-9400, mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com. Daily, 4:30-11 p.m.
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