The Silk Mandarin * * .

The Silk Mandarin requires no advertising, no publicity, and little if any marketing. The reason for this, being that anyone who's stumbled across this mystical little spot, inevitably comes back for more, bringing with him/her, another dilettante with the curiosity and eagerness of a young child. Despite it's shared parking lot, The Silk Mandarin operates by its own set of rules, easily shying away from its surrounding.  Turn your cheek as this place smacks you in the face with it's impressive collection of plaques, awards, and recognitions plastered all over walls of its entry hall. In just 22 years of operation, the restaurant has received rave reviews from the Chicago Sun Times, The Daily Herald, North Shore Magazine, etc. 

“Best Chinese Food” Pioneer Express
“Best Chinese Restaurant” (9 straight years) North Shore Magazine
“Silver Platter Award” Food Industry News
“Reader’s Choice Award” Sun Publications
“At The Silk Mandarin the usual becomes the unusual” North Shore Magazine”
“Asian with a flair” The Daily Herald,
“A smooth style that seduces jaded diners with a promise of excitement and discovery” Chicago Sun Times

North Shore Awards (9 straight years)

Put to shame, I vowed never to underestimate the capacity of any restaurant, however big or small, be it a corporate chain or privately owned.  Guilty in thought, owner of the restaurant Lydia Tsai, walked us past an impressive rectangular fish tank, through the main dining area, and to our comfortable seated booth where we were immediately greeted by our server. Wu Wei, (pronounced, ‘euw’ ‘whey’) did his best to introduce himself; an admirable touch considering how little server/guest interaction generally takes place in oriental restaurants.  Because I didn't expect a wine presentation upon ordering, it came as a pleasant surprise to see Wu Wei approach the table eager to offer a sampling flight of my selected glass of Sur De Los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon, an Argentinean wine infused with hints of blackberries, wild cherries, and black currants. 

After what seemed like 30 minutes of me analyzing the menu and bombarding our poor server with countless questions, we finally decided on the sweet and sour seafood soup, the shrimp toast and the potstickers as our appetizers.  The presentation or the soup was unpredicable and was most hospitable.

Sweet and Sour Seafood Soup

From the large bowl of hot soup placed in the center of the table, Wu Wei filled our cups with the sweet and sour goodness, carefully scooping both of us a generous amount vegetables to the light broth. Each spoonful was better than the last, leaving a pleasantly luring aftertaste. I was most satisfied when I'd land a random shrimp, or a fully loaded mushroom combined with a swirling peas and a subtle piece of tofu. Thank God our phenomenal shrimp toast arrived when it did, else we would've been too tempted to continue filling up on the soup. Allow me to say, that the shrimp toast are without a doubt unlike anything you've ever tasted; they'd easily take first place in any pastry contest. An absolute must order here!!!  Expect 6 little wedges: fried crisp on the outside, doughy from the tender buttery shrimp mixed throughout the center. No complaints about the potstickers; powerful in flavor, served with a sauce so pertinent as salt is to a steak.

Shrimp Toast

Appetizers

My Formosa Chicken held both sweet and sour elements with chunks of pineapple, water chestnuts, baby corn, and green onion served with white rice on the side. Wu Wei quickly grabbed my attention when he used the word, “pancake” to describe the Mo Shu; I knew he probably meant to say something along the lines of a steamed rice paper wrapper.  Because there was no attached description, we didn't know what to expect when we ordered the Chicken Mo Shu, (which is available vegetarian, beef, and seafood style).  This dish  was unanimously on of our favorites. A uniqueness in it's preparation; Asian shredded vegetables, grilled and infused with a enjoyable smoky aroma, folded into a steamed rice wrapper. For lack of any sort of menu description, and in case you are allergic, you should probably know that this dish is loaded with Asian pickled cabbage, hidden beansprouts, grilled onions, carrots, and the added chicken.

At any rate, The Silk Mandarin, does not disappoint. The Mo Shu is a great choice for the health conscious, potstickers for the average Joe, and Shrimp Toast for EVERYONE! No excuses. Give your taste buds the ultimate reward they deserve.

Formosa Chicken

Mo Shu

If if sounds too good to be true, It probably is. Though we had such a fabulous experience at dinner time, I wanted to try the lunch buffet to get a better grasp on ALL The Silk Mandarin had to offer. I arrived at 1:30pm, two hours after open, and an hour before lunchtime close. I was flattered that Wu Wei happened to recognize me and that he was much more open this time, offering his wealth of knowledge with little if any prompting from my end. Wu Wei insisted we pass on the buffet claiming most of the food was dead, dry from sitting out so long.  I should have agreed with his opposition upon first glance, or even after the first couple samples, but I committed myself to the crappy buffet so I followed through :(. The buffet does not convey the quality of this restaurant's menu in the slightest. Please do yourself a favor, and just say no to the God awful buffet unless your level of satisfaction lies in fried egg rolls, the crunchy green beans and the red bean paste stuffed sesame ball, the only three selections worthy of consumption. I will say though, the sesame seed balls were damn good! I only had three or four of the perfectly prepared treats.

Portion of Buffet

Wu Wei could see how much I liked them, and packed the last three sesame balls for me to take home to my momma! Definitely a nice higher touch.

Sesame Ball

If it weren’t for the terrible buffet, I would easily rate this restaurant 3 stars; but that requires perfection. The Silk Mandarin gets 2.5 stars for regular dining food quality, personalized service and above average hospitality.