The Noodle Shop at Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

This Chinese restaurant in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino offers a weekday lunch special, giving diners their choice of one appetizer plus one entree for less than $20.

Mongolian Beef - The Noodle Shop - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

After my highly satisfying breakfast excursion at The Café at THEhotel, I was hoping I'd experience similar dining success when I stopped in at The Noodle Shop later that day for lunch. I was more than prepared to just grab another fruit plate at The Café, but the sign advertising The Noodle Shop's lunch special drew me into the restaurant and convinced me to eat something a little more substantial.

Tea at The Noodle Shop - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

The lunch special is available Monday - Friday from 11:00 AM until 3:30 PM. Diners have their choice of one appetizer (Hot Soup or Vegetable Egg Roll) and one entree (Mongolian Beef; Orange Chicken; Sweet & Sour Chicken; Kung Pao Chicken; Beef, Chicken, or Vegetable Chow Mein; Chicken, Shrimp, and Beef with Garlic Sauce; or Ma Po Tofu) for just $18.99 (not including tax or gratuity). To give myself ample time to decide, I ordered some green tea to sip on while I considered all of my options.

Vegetable Egg Roll - The Noodle Shop - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

Vegetable Egg Roll - The Noodle Shop - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

I chose the Vegetable Egg Roll over the soup because I was craving something with some texture. And, really, who can resist the crispy exterior of an egg roll? The filling was pretty standard and consisted mainly of cabbage. Unfortunately, without the dipping sauce, the egg roll was bland and wasn't exactly the most memorable dish I ate while in Las Vegas. Adding a little bit of salt and pepper to the filling would have done wonders.

Mongolian Beef - The Noodle Shop - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

I wish I could say my entree -- the Mongolian Beef -- was better and more memorable than the Vegetable Egg Roll, but it wasn't. The dish came out of the kitchen in record time, meaning it was placed in front of me along with a bowl of white rice (brown rice wasn't available) in less than two minutes.

I was served the entree so quickly that I started to wonder whether the beef was cooked to order. One bite proved that my concerns were founded. The beef, while as spicy as promised, was barely warmer than room temperature and the texture was chewy and unappealing. I ate just enough to make my stomach stop growling and left the rest on the plate.

So much for having back-to-back wins in the meal department.

The Noodle Shop
Mandalay Bay
3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 632-4934



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