Las vEgas Elite

Alaskan snow crab legs, shrimp, and more at Genting Palace.

Genting Palace’s extravagant seafood buffet features sliced Beijing duck and sometimes even Alaskan king crab legs, but it’s scheduled to end on March 27

Welcome to the Scene Report, a new column in which Eater captures the vibe of a notable Vegas restaurant at a specific moment in time.

While staying at Resorts World a few weeks ago, my family was looking for a handy Sunday night meal after a weekend of eating through the resort (including the new Stubborn Seed’s fantastic tasting menu and Brezza’s easy-breezy lunch). On Sundays, we tend to crave Chinese food, and there are almost too many options in Vegas, especially near the Strip. After considering favorites like Shang Noodle and China Mama, we landed at the one closest to us at Resorts World: Genting Palace, which is named after the resort’s Malaysian parent company. While the a la carte Chinese classics are impressive, the restaurant’s buffet may be the best new all-you-can-eat situation in Las Vegas, especially for the sliced Beijing duck.

The logistics: Located between the Hilton lobby and the main casino floor, Genting Palace is a solid option for fancy Chinese banquet vibes and polished Cantonese fare. The main menu offers pricey Chinese dishes a la carte like wok-fried Maine lobster, walnut prawns, Beijing duck, and A5 wagyu tenderloin in a black pepper sauce. A more recent addition to the restaurant is an all-you-can-eat buffet tucked in the far right side of the dining room. Genting opened the addition around Lunar New Year; open Wednesday to Sunday, the buffet is priced at $68.88 (Chinese gamblers like the number 8 for its good luck).

The vibe: Similar to other upscale Chinese restaurants on the Strip like Wing Lei, Mott 32, and Chyna Club, Genting Palace is decked out in traditional decor like floating lantern-style lights, patterned walls that look hand-sewn, floral carpeting, and geometric wooden panels fashioned to look like an imperial palace. It’s ritzy and lush but not over the top.

The restaurant wasn’t very busy at around 6 p.m. At the moment, it feels like a requisite casino option for high-roller baccarat players to redeem comps for what I imagine to be colossal losses. There are multiple layers of tablecloths while the ornate, plush chairs are likely more comfortable than the ones inside the high limit gambling rooms. Against the far wall, comfy banquettes allow for quiet conversations. The music is low and unmemorable, which is nice given the number of clubstaurants on the Strip.

The menu: The stars of the buffet were the Beijing duck, Alaskan king crab, and crisp pork belly — each good enough to be served a la carte. The per-person price of $68.88 is actually well under competing Vegas buffets (for reference, the Wynn Buffet is $79.99, Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars is $84.99, and Bellagio’s buffet is $74.99).

The buffet begins with freshly shucked oysters served on the half shell and super plump cocktail shrimp. Given a recent near-miss for food poisoning with raw oysters, I opted for the shrimp, which were terrific and came with standard-issue cocktail sauce. As the beginning of the buffet began to tread towards a seafood extravaganza, a very good hot and sour soup brought the meal firmly back to Chinese dinner territory. The soup was vibrant, just tangy enough, and finished with a deeply savory mushroom note without being gloopy.

The next station presented a stack of glistening steamed Alaskan king crab legs. The attendant said the buffet typically serves snow crab, which would’ve been more than adequate, but a glut of king crab allowed the buffet to serve these as a special for no additional price. Even the presence of snow crab stands out against the rest of the high-end Vegas buffets, the closest others come is the excellent Dungeness crab at Bacchanal and Wynn. I ate five full king crab legs before tiring of them. Since this is a Chinese buffet, there were only lemon slices instead of the typical drawn butter. Otherwise, there were shucked Peruvian scallops and sea snails, which would likely be ignored in other buffets, but make sense here.

Hot dishes included shiitake mushrooms with fried tofu and bok choy, which was stellar (our two-year-old toddler appreciated the fried tofu). Fried lobster pieces were probably the weakest dish in the hot section, though the area was redeemed by excellent clams tossed with Thai basil sauce. Fried noodles and fried rice were expectedly delicious; the glossy dark noodles are tossed with shreds of scrambled egg and chicken with finely julienned red peppers. The fried rice comes studded with white shrimp.

The end of the hot line provided my favorite part of the small-ish, but impressive, buffet: a carving station for Cantonese-style fried pork belly and a whole Beijing duck. A chef carves pieces of the golden roast duck in small quantities so diners can pick up the juicy slices. A steamer of plush folded buns shaped like butterflies sits on the side waiting to be stuffed with tender meat. The requisite toothpick-sized pieces of scallions and cucumber sit at the ready next to a bowl of hoisin sauce. The pork belly’s skin was tasty if a tad lacking in crunchiness, but the duck was fantastic. Yes, the skin could’ve been crispier, but that’s nitpicking because this Beijing duck is unlimited, and I can’t think of anywhere else that comes close to that. I could easily eat half a bird for dinner (and I felt like I did).

The “very Asian” desserts: The sweets situation here is hilariously Asian with trays of sliced honeydew, pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon with a few errant strawberries and green grapes. A manager said they will eventually add more Chinese-style desserts like tapioca pudding, but seeing the neatly arranged piles of sliced fruit made me smile. I would, however, appreciate a little more in the dessert department. There are sweets like baked Alaska or apple wontons on the standard menu, but those would cost extra.

The drinks: We sipped hot charcoal-roasted oolong tea served in a pot with a mild, earthy aroma that would befit a typical Chinese meal. Tea isn’t included in the buffet so expect to pay $8-18 extra for tea service. There are wines and other alcoholic beverages for those who want to imbibe.

The verdict: Buffets are clearly one of Vegas’s specialties and it might only be a matter of time before Genting Palace’s reaches a larger audience. But even in a crowded market, and with a buffet size that can’t rival that at some hotels, Genting Palace stands out from the pack. While the restaurant may get busier as news gets out about the unlimited duck, the space is prepared to handle a potential influx. And for less than $70 a person, this all-you-can-eat Chinese extravaganza is completely worth it.

Genting Palace at Resort World’s buffet is open Wednesday through Sunday and will go until March 27, though it’s possible it will continue beyond that date.