Corporate chef David Robins pours a sauce onto the Shanghai lobster dish at Chinois in the Forum Shops at Caesars. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Chinois in the Forum Shops at Caesars offers an assortment of items from the sushi bar. Photo by Clint Karlsen. The redesigned dining room at Chinois aims to give diners a calm atmosphere. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Wolfgang Puck's Chinois restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has a different look, a new executive chef and a new menu.

Redesigned to reflect a more "Zen-like" environment, the Chinese fusion caf has a calming water feature, communal tables and patio dining.

Managing partner and corporate chef David Robins of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, reworked the menu with the restaurant's new chef, Terence Fong, formerly with Gatsby's at the MGM Grand, Osaka and Malibu Chan's.

"We wanted the menu to have wok items in a Hong Kong-Chinese style, a sushi bar and our classic Chinois dishes," Robins says. "It's a little more clear-cut what this restaurant is. It has a great, hip feel and it's accessible, whether you're dressed in shorts or dressed for Elton John. Chinois is the most unique of our restaurants." Other local Puck restaurants include Spago, Trattoria del Lupo, Postrio and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

Chinois serves lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11:30 a.m. (lunch will be available on Mondays during holiday weekends).

Dinner is served nightly starting at 5.

Reservations are accepted by calling 737-9700.

Starters: Pork potstickers, pan fried and served with soy-chili dipping sauce ($7); chicken spring rolls, including vegetables, peanuts and honey five-spice dipping sauce ($8); crab Rangoon served with a sweet and spicy black bean sauce ($9); crisp calamari served with basil aioli and firecracker sauce ($8); lettuce wraps with marinated chicken breast in a sweet and spicy soy glaze ($10); duck pancakes featuring roasted duck with mixed vegetables in scallion crepes, served with red wine-pineapple sauce ($12).

Soups and salads: Won ton soup with pork-filled won tons, chicken and bok choy ($6); Hong Kong noodle soup with a spicy chicken broth, chicken, shrimp, pork, baby bok choy and egg noodles ($11); Chinois chicken salad with marinated chicken breasts, mixed greens, candied cashews and crispy won tons ($9); cucumber salad ($5); seaweed salad ($5); and sunomono salad with cucumber, crab, octopus and shrimp ($11).

Entrees: Roasted Atlantic salmon glazed with hoisin barbecue sauce and asparagus, served with lychee potato puree ($25); yellowfin tuna crusted with coriander and black peppercorns, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and lobster sauce ($29); sizzling whole catfish, a whole farm-raised catfish stuffed with ginger and wok fried, served with ponzu sauce and dry-fried green beans ($30); Cantonese duck, half of a roasted duck with hoisin-passion fruit sauce, pancakes and mixed field greens ($32); Shanghai lobster, served in curry sauce with jasmine rice and crisp spinach ($38); crisp, spicy tofu with bell peppers and spinach in a spicy kung pao sauce ($9); eggplant, wok-fried and stir-fried with snap peas in a spicy sweet and sour sauce ($8); firecracker shrimp with bok choy, water chestnuts and basil in a slightly spicy sauce ($15); and orange beef with Thai chilis, garlic and scallions in an orange-soy glaze ($13.95).

Extras: Sushi bar with nigiri, maki, specialty rolls, assortments and special selections; edamame ($4); and miso soup ($5).

Desserts: Crunchy chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce; crispy banana spring rolls, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream; mochi ice cream in mango, strawberry, tiramisu and green tea flavors, served with fortune cookie; warm coconut tapioca pudding with mango and coconut sorbet ($6 each).

Appetizers is a weekly informational column about new developments on the Las Vegas dining scene. Items should not be considered reviews or recommendations and none is a paid advertisement. Contact Ken White at 383-0256 or e-mail him at kwhite@reviewjournal.com.