BEST FRIEND: ROY CHOI EXPANDS INTO VEGAS, BRINGING SOME WELL-KNOWN DISHES WITH HIM
The Cost - $44 per person.
The Atmosphere – Upon entering the shop area of Best Friend, you feel as if you have stepped inside an old school bodega. The walls are hung with neon signs and stacked with merchandise, whilst people sit at the brightly lit bar enjoying alcoholic slushies and snacks. The main part of the restaurant is accessed through a red curtain and the vibe is young and hip, with R&B and hip hop music playing at full volume and colorful artwork covering the walls. It’s not an ideal spot for families but a fun location for dinner with friends. Reservations are highly recommended and the dress code is casual.
Roy Choi is famous for his unique blend of L.A. influenced Korean food with distinctive twists. The well-known chef has an empire in Los Angeles but Best Friend is his first restaurant to open in Las Vegas and is set inside the Park MGM hotel. The menu at Best Friend features highlights from his various L.A. restaurants, many of which hae a Mexican twist, as well as a selection of new dishes designed specifically for Vegas. At Best Friend, you’ll have the opportunity to order the iconic Korean short-rib tacos that made his original food truck, Kogi, such a huge success as well as other popular BBQ dishes and rice bowls.
The Order – Lumpia Dumplings, Garlic Chicken, Street Corn, and Chego Pork Belly Bowl.
The Great – One of the best dishes of the evening was the Lumpia Dumplings. I’m not sure why they are referred to as dumplings as they take the traditional lumpia form (like a fried spring roll), but don’t let that put you off as they are definitely worth ordering. The cigar-shaped parcels were stuffed with a combination of pork, beef, tofu and rice noodles and were fried to a nice light crisp. They came six to an order and were served with a delicious dipping sauce and a selection of fresh herbs. Enjoying the lumpia with the fresh herbs and the sweet and slightly sour notes of the standout sauce made them a true joy to eat.
The other best dish of the evening was the Garlic Chicken. The smell of the garlic in the soy marinated meat was mouth-watering upon arrival while the portion size was pleasing to the eye. The jidori chicken thighs were boneless and very tasty. They were served over a bed of sliced onions with a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. The delicious chicken dish is one I would happily order again.
The Street Corn was another winner. The flavors and proportions were excellent, with salty cotija cheese, punchy tajin and lime and cilantro for freshness. At $12 it doesn’t represent the best value, though it is a slightly larger portion than you would expect of a side. The dish is a good example of the Mexican influence on the menu and, despite the price, is tasty enough to make it a worthwhile dish to share.
The Good - The Chego Pork Belly Bowl was large and very filling, though that was mostly due to the amount of rice and greens. The sauce was really good but there wasn’t enough of it for such a large portion, and the fried egg, radish, broccoli, cotija cheese and peanuts didn’t make enough of an impact. Though the pork belly was nicely done it wasn’t mind blowing, and again there wasn’t enough of it in comparison to the rice and greens. Although the flavors were good overall, I would not order this dish again before trying the others on the menu.
The Verdict - Compared to his Los Angeles spots, the prices at Roy Choi’s Las Vegas restaurant are a heck of a lot more expensive. That being said, the restaurant isn’t in L.A. and when you compare it to other restaurants on the Vegas strip, Best Friend isn’t a bad value, especially because the food was tasty, the restaurant is a really fun atmosphere to dine in, and we overordered. Whether you’re a fan of Roy Choi’s restaurants in L.A. or just looking for a lively, high energy spot to eat at in Vegas, Best Friend is a great option. And note, although the servers recommend ordering two to three dishes per person, the portion sizes were more generous than they made it seem - one main and a shared appetizer is enough food per person.