On a recent afternoon visit to M.Y. Asia at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, chef Martin Yan was a blur of activity—talking to chefs in the open kitchen, checking on guests, attending to minute details at the recently opened restaurant. If you’ve seen his long-running PBS show, Yan Can Cook (and if you haven’t, you have more than 3,500 episodes to catch up on), this infectious energy is very much on brand for the 74-year-old James Beard Award-winner, whose passion and knowledge for Asian cuisine runs deep. Along with his TV shows, Yan has a chain of restaurants and has authored dozens of cookbooks.
M.Y. Asia marks his first foray into Las Vegas, and for longtime home-cook fans, it doesn’t disappoint. Like the chef himself, the energy of the space is palpable, from the noodle-pulling station to the live-fire work kitchen. The menu, though not as large as what you typically see at a Chinese restaurant, is thoughtfully crafted, informed by Yan’s extensive travels throughout Asia. You’ll see classic Chinese dishes, but you’ll also get a taste of Japan, Korea, Vietnam and beyond.
“I basically picked some of my favorite dishes and put together a menu of about 55 to 65 items, so you don’t have any problem picking,” Yan says. “My philosophy is to maintain the spirit of the indigenous cuisine, but at the same time, add a little modern twist and make it more contemporary in terms of presentation.”
Start with small bites for the table. The Beijing pork potstickers ($14) and Vietnamese spring roll ($14) are familiar crowd-pleasers, along with dim sum favorites har gow ($14) and siu mai ($12). Everything on the menu is meant to be shared family-style, so come with a group to maximize the experience.
There are two salads on the menu, and both should not be missed. The Vietnamese herb glass noodle ($14) is a visually stunning concoction of purple cabbage, romaine lettuce, pickled carrots, red onions, cucumber, green onions, Thai basil, cilantro, peanuts, lemongrass and ground chicken with a chili-lime dressing. The green papaya salad ($12) is equally colorful, offering a nice texture and a puckery fish-sauce flavor.
The main dishes will give your palate a nice tour of Asia, which makes sharing even more fun. The Thai yellow coconut curry chicken ($25), paired with rice, is creamy and satisfying, while the wasabi walnut shrimp ($32) takes a standard dish available on every Chinese menu and adds the delightful twist of honey mayo wasabi. The Chilean sea bass ($38) is delicately marinated in honey, jasmine tea and miso, then finished with a honey ginger glaze, enhancing the natural sweetness of the fish.
And here’s a dish you don’t see often at Strip restaurants: adobo ($24), the national dish of the Philippines. Here, the protein is pork, braised in a soy sauce and vinegar mixture and served over rice. Like Thai curry chicken, it’s comfort food from the other side of the world.
Dessert isn’t always front and center in Asian cuisine, but if you need a sweet finish, there’s a lovely strawberry panna cotta ($13) or ice cream topped with mochi pieces ($14).
Food, for Yan, is a communal ritual that you share with family and friends. The experience should be joyful, but it should also be balanced, not just in flavor but in nutrition.
“The Chinese believe that food and medicine are actually at the same root because when you eat well and you have a good, healthy diet, you have balance,” he says. “The philosophy of yin and yang—you have sweet and sour, you have hot and cold, you have color contrast. When you have all these elements in one dish, that is the essence of Asian cuisine.”
M.Y. ASIA Horseshoe, 725-205-0539, myasialv.com. Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
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