Nom Wah has expanded to Las Vegas, having opened a few months ago at the new food hall at the Rampart (now known as Resort at Summerlin). Nom Wah is the oldest continuously running restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown, New York City’s first Chinese tea and dim sum “parlor,” which debuted in 1920. The brand has two other locations in New York, one in Philadelphia, and one in Shenzen, China. The original venue was featured in a scene in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The Resort at Summerlin Nom Wah is a bustling little eatery, with a 12-seat counter, a handful of tables along the wall, and more tables out in the hallway next to Jade Asian Kitchen and Noodles.
The menu is small but mighty, offering classic and modern Cantonese dim sum. Nine dumplings ($9-$12) include pork/chicken soup, chicken and cabbage, shrimp, pork and shrimp shu mai, and edamame; spring rolls, scallion pancakes, and turnip cakes are $7-$9.50. Egg fried rice, lo mein, and wonton noodle soup ($13-$15), along with crispy chicken, Peking duck, and chili tofu buns ($10-$14), round out the choices.
You mark your selections right on the long paper menu in the usual dim sum fashion, then sit back and watch the chefs in the open kitchen do their magic. The food comes piping hot right off the grill or out of the pots and the service is so fast that steam rises from the dishes as they’re set in front of you.
We sampled the scallion pancakes, which were the essence of crisp, the exquisite chicken and cabbage dumplings, and the shrimp siu mai. Sitting at the counter watching many other dishes being prepared and served, next time we’ll be sure to try the wonton soup, duck buns, and noodles or rice, all of which looked tasty and abundant.
We took home one of each of our dishes and should confess that they barely made it in the door; we couldn’t wait to relive the 105-year-old experience and everything traveled well. Our bill came to $30.35 (with tax, without tip).
While there, we also checked out Pearl Oyster and Crudo Bar and Ai Pazzi (both a fast-food pizza place and Italian restaurant) and we’re more than ready to try those too.