Lyla D.
Yelp
We planned our trip to Las Vegas to celebrate the Lunar New Year and my husband's birthday at a couple of popular Chinese restaurants. Soon after arriving from a redeye flight and early hotel check-in, I used the Yelp App to make lunch reservations at China Mama. However, I made reservations at Spring by China Mama was located in the Paradise Esplanade strip mall anchored by Ferraro's Ristorante and CVS between the Virgin Hotel and UNLV and is a collaboration between China Mama and Lao Chang Spring Pancakes (founded by China Mama owner, Ivy Ma's grandfather in China). The Spring pancakes 春饼 and roasted duck are what attracted our taste buds first as we enjoy Peking Duck and authentic Chinese (Cantonese and Northern-style Chinese) cuisines.
Since we were the first customers through the door, yes, we literally looked like the "begging dogs scratching at the front door to get in," we entered this clean and elegantly appointed restaurant with contemporary decor mixed with an open kitchen behind glass enclosure. Within a few minutes, our server introduced himself (Gavin) and described the different menus set (beverages, lunch, sets with Spring pancakes, and à la carte). The menu appeared to be quite extensive and the accompanying food photos all looked very appetizing. However, we knew we had dinner reservations elsewhere and didn't want to overeat so we asked Gavin about the portion sizes. He suggested two or three dishes would be plentiful for the two of us so it was now up to us to narrow down our choices.
It took us several minutes to decide and place our order while Gavin serviced other seated guests. Meanwhile, a young Asian male server or manager (sorry, we didn't get his name) came by to make suggestions and took our order.
FOOD:
-Salted Egg Yolk Prawns: salted egg yolks (duck or chicken) are a popular Chinese food ingredient and can be used to coat fried shellfish or seafood. The salted egg yolks have a luxurious, creamy, and somewhat grainy texture but when made into sauce to coat deep-fried seafood, that's where the "party" begins. Spring by China Mama's heaping serving (12 shelled shrimp) were golden fried with a crisp and crunchy crust and the buttery (?) salted egg yolk sauce did not make the fried shrimp soggy. Lightly salted egg yolk crusted fried corn kernels and red bell pepper pieces were served with this dish which offset the slightly salty crust with natural sweetness. $26
-Sliced Roasted Duck: this dish was recommended to us as their version of Peking Duck. The duck platter was presented with roasted duck breast slices in fish scale-like food presentation with batons of cucumbers, shredded scallions and a sweet bean sauce. The six Lao Chang Spring pancakes were served in a steamer basket and were translucent, delicate soft, and chewy. Although there were pancake folding directions at the bottom of the menu, we each folded or rolled our roasted duck our own way. There was plenty of roasted duck meat to fill six folded pancakes but we were offered another basket, if needed. $38
-Steamed Rice: since we ordered the salted egg yolk prawns, we felt that we needed steamed rice to accompany this dish. Our server suggested getting ONE bowlful instead of fulfilling our request for two bowls. He was RIGHT! We split the bowl of rice, although most of the rice was eaten by my husband and were contentedly stuffed. $2
We're glad to have dined at Spring by China Mama since knowing that the multiple locations of China Mama are Eater Las Vegas magazine listed as one of Las Vegas' Best Chinese Restaurants as of January 28, 2025. We enjoyed everything about this restaurant: delicious flavors, beautiful food presentations, lovely decor, attentive and friendly service, and value. Our short visit made us want to return for more, but our eating escapes are always cut short because there are too many excellent restaurants and too little time spent here.
We'll be back!