In a very uncharacteristic manner, I arrived to Las Vegas without any dinner reservations. Instead, I figured that after checking in to the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas hotel, I decided to text my friend Terrin for a recommendation. As his family visits Las Vegas multiple times a month, I figured that he'd have some solid suggestions.

Amusingly, I'd been to all of his suggestions but one: Weera Thai. He said that all locations of Weera Thai were slightly different. However the Chinatown location was closest to my second stop of the evening: The Golden Tiki. So, in short order, I had a quick stop at Hard Shake (Hard Shake at Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas) for a light appetizer before continuing on.

Walking into Weera Thai, I was delighted by the vibe. Originally, I looked forward to the larb. I was craving the spice. However, upon comparing photos of menu items, I actually ended up ordering something else: the KHAO SOI (Northern Thai soup filled with bouncy egg noodles drowned in a rich, heart coconut curry broth served with your choice of premium protein) with beef.

I’ll admit my expectations were high going in. But after the first sip of broth, I had to recalibrate. This was an umami-forward dish, with the chili oil rounding out the flavors rather than igniting them – a complete contrast to the burning mouth heat I’d been mentally bracing for.

I think my mind wanted the searing intensity of larb. Instead, I got something wholly unexpected.

The dish was good, and that came down to the sauce. If I ordered it again, I’d go with the pork belly option. But I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Next time, I would go without expectation and just experience the dishes vs projecting my expectations onto them.