Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.
John Chien Lee [Photo: Chelsea McManus]
With more than 20 years of experience, chef John Chien Lee has worked his way up to becoming the executive chef of the Social House at Crystals. Starting out at the young age of 16, Lee began his professional journey at the bottom of the food chain in a small restaurant in Milpitas, Calif. After years of learning all he could, the young chef made the move to Las Vegas to become a sushi cook at Social House in 2007. After six years, Lee has held many positions in the kitchen and for the past year, he's held the title executive chef. Here, he shares his favorite places to dine when he's not working, and they all have a Chinese theme.
Which restaurants do you turn to when you're not working?
When I'm not working there are three places I like to head to: Ping Pang Pong for Sunday's dim sum brunch with 50-plus items you can choose from served in an authentic Hong Kong setting. You can't go wrong with that.
Jenny Pho for a late night after work feast. A bowl of hot beef broth soup with rice sticky noodle takes away all the stress from the day. And lastly, a new favorite is Bund Shanghai Restaurant; it is not like majority of the Chinese restaurants in town. This place make me feel like I am eating back home. ?
My favorite dish at Bund Shanghai Restaurant is the braised pork shank. It is a tender and flavorful dish complimented by a sauce that has a good balance of sweet and savory. The meat falls right off the bone and melts in your mouth. It is a true treat.
I also enjoy Shanghai's style of cooking. The focus is on the ingredients, the sauces are not too heavy and you can really taste each ingredient without being overpowered by the sauce. I love to go there because they have amazing service and I am always greeted with a friendly smile.
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