Kumi Japanese Restaurant + Bar created by Chef Akira Back features a modern Japanese menu with a Korean American twist.
This restaurant was reviewed in the April 2004 LVA when it was still the China Grill; some of the information contained in this review may no longer be accurate. Mandalay Bay's China Grill surprised us. Expecting a run-of-the-mill high-end pseudo-Chinese experience, we instead found something really different. Yes, it's the fou-fou fusion thing, but it's done better than usual and the selection is super creative—spicy beef and scallion dumplings, crab and lemongrass pot stickers, green tea-spiced roasted lamb, drunken chicken, and Shanghai lobster, for example. It's expensive—appetizers are all in the high teens and entrées are mostly $30 and up—but everything comes in big portions to accommodate a family-style presentation. In fact, the waiter suggested we choose only two appetizers (crackling calamari salad and lobster pancakes) and two entrées (soy marinated skirt steak and sizzling whole fish) for a party of three. Sides of lobster mashed potatoes and crispy spinach made for far too much food to finish. If you don't mind spending some bucks (our tab was $180) and have an adventuresome pallet (those lobster pancakes are amazing), China Grill is worth a go.