Sweet Raku

Went back to Sweet Raku for light lunch and dessert.

They are actually same restaurant group as Raku the Sushi Restaurant which also have just as great reputation.  Maybe on my list next time.   I felt torn that I had enough stomach for one and not the other.  I think the Sushi Restaurant does serve dessert, but not as many variety as Sweet Raku does.

For Iced Tea, I got the Momoko, which is Peach and Vanilla green tea.  Very light and easy going.

Amuse Bouche - Lobster Tomato Soup in a demi cup.

Light salad with potato salad and a bit of vinaigrette.

The entree was the Salmon sandwich with roe and veggies.  The delightful about this sandwich is that the croissant is warmed and toasted.  So not only is it light and fluffy, buttery, and crispy too.  The salmon in the middle is a decent size of fish, also cooked.  So the sandwich really does give you the warm and fuzzy inside.

With the Chef's Special Set dessert, it comes with an Earl Grey Creme Brûlée.  It is actually very small, where you can finish in 3 scoops. But still delightful nonetheless.

Then, the main event came!  I ordered Mars, which comes as a sugar shell.  They lit up a small pour of Hennessy, then when it caught the fire, it gets poured over the sugar shell and melt it.

The presentation is awesome, but once it's melted away, the inside doesn't look as impressive as it was before.  But it tasted very good.  They really don't make dessert in very many places in the States.  

What's inside: yuzu cream with chocolate cream, on top of a hazelnut cookie and it has some crunches in there too. The mix of the flavors together are very nice.  Though, not all of the alcohol got burnt off in the presentation.  It is a nice mix.

So, a few things you need to know.  They only serve set lunches on weekends.  They close on Wednesdays.  I talked to the server, he said that they get a lull after the first 1.5hr.  So, while they don't take reservations, you can catch them 1.5hr after they open on weekends.  If you can, definitely catch a seat at the counter.  You get to see them prepare your dish, and it is really like a show.  Oh, and definitely check out the bathroom, it is not something you see everyday.

Another Las Vegas' tourist spot that I've been meaning to go but never made it is the Neon Museum.  I always thought it is behind the Fremont Experience, turns out it's still a ways off.  We were lucky that they happen to have a Tim Burton 'exhibit' and a Brilliant experience.  

So, I'm a fan of Tim Burton's, and the word 'exhibit' is used loosely because while they have a small bit of his work at the beginning to set you up with how Vegas has inspired him over time.  He also have work intermingled throughout the Boneyard (that's where they have all the old neon signs).  So, it is like a mini scavenger hunt to find them in the mix of things.  There are a few binoculars with small slide shows, couple special signs he had made for the Lost Vegas exhibit.  Which in talking with the staff there, you see how the signs inspire his designs.  Either he take it and add his own twist, or used them as a background of his design.  It's signature enough that you realized is Vegas, but twisted enough to remember it is Tim Burton.

The Brilliant experience is quite unique.  The artist re-arrange these old signs that are no longer functional.  Then created a light show with music and video, to match the signs.  At points of the show, you really feel like the signs lit up like its glory days, which in fact, it was just light projection. The painstaking process they must've gone thru with timing design and story line was just impeccable.  Highly recommend if you have the time to spare.  The Brilliant experience is extra cost and only after sun down.  So, we took a tip from another visitor and that is go during dawn, you get to capture the Boneyard with a little bit of sunlight, and if they light up that's awesome.  But time that well enough for the Brilliant too.  Two birds, one stone.

Sweet Raku

5040 W.Spring Mountain Rd

Suite 3

Las Vegas, NV 89146

702-290-7181

http://raku-sweets.com/sweets/

Neon Museum

770 Las Vegas Blvd North

Last Vegas, NV 89101

702-387-6366

https://www.neonmuseum.org