Opening date set for new Lotus of Siam restaurant

By Johnathan L. Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

2 years ago

Lotus of Siam owner/chef Saipin Chutima, left, shows a dish of Garlic Prawns with her daughter ... — Lotus of Siam owner/chef Saipin Chutima, left, shows a dish of Garlic Prawns with her daughter Penny Chua, Friday, July 22, 2022, at their restaurant on East Flamingo Road in Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chitosephoto

Lotus of Siam owner/chef Saipin Chutima, left, makes a dish of Garlic Prawns, Friday, July 22, 2022, at her restaurant on East Flamingo Road in Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chitosephoto

There’s now a definite debut date for the garlic prawns. Lotus of Siam, the Thai restaurant among the most loved in Las Vegas, is opening its new location at Red Rock Resort on Nov. 11 for dinner.

The date has been confirmed by the new restaurant’s website, which is accepting reservations beginning Nov. 11, and by a reply from Lotus of Siam on its Instagram account, saying the Red Rock restaurant “will be open and accepting reservations starting 11/11.” The reply, posted Oct. 17, has since been deleted; the Review-Journal preserved it via screenshot.

The launch of Lotus of Siam at Red Rock marks the first in a series of moves, initially reported by R-J, that also involve renovation and reopening of the original Lotus on East Sahara Avenue and the current restaurant on East Flamingo Road.

The Red Rock location, the first Lotus expansion since its founding 23 years ago, is also the first project from Bua Food Group, which was launched in 2021, to develop hospitality concepts, by Penny Chutima, whose family owns Lotus of Siam, and Lou Abin, a longtime family friend and a founder of Tao Group, the hospitality empire.

The Red Rock menu is currently divided into 10 categories of dishes, including the signature garlic prawns from Mom’s Highlights (mom Saipin Chutima is the James Beard Award-winning chef), northern larb (northern Thai spices; no lime juice) from Shared Plates, and khao soi egg noodles in curry sauce (Burmese-inspired) from among the noodle options.

Besides Lotus of Siam, Bua Food Group is joining with the casino in two other food and drink ventures: Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar at Naxos. The taverna will offer dips and spreads, salads, vegetable dishes, and grilled fish and seafood; Kallisto is Bua’s take on a traditional oyster bar, with Mediterranean influences.

Lotus of Siam at Red Rock is part of a property-wide upgrade. Visit lotusredrock.com to make reservations.

Update: Since this story posted, the Instagram reply referred to above has been made live again.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.