Silk Mandarin Restaurant - Real Deal Chinese in Vernon Hills

OK - I've finally recovered from Friday's food coma induced by the LTH North Lunch Group. The follow up posts with details can be found here - viewtopic.php?f=19&t=31339

All I can add is that this place is the real McCoy. If you're not sure what to order, just put your trust in your knowledgeable server or Lydia the owner. You'll see stuff on the menu that might creep you out - no worries. It's a huge menu. Enjoy.

Silk Mandarin Restaurant
4 E. Phillip Rd.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 680-1760
http://www.silkmandarinvernonhills.com/ ... ml?src=%2F

I am particularly anticipating the pork tripe cooked with pigs blood that the table next to us was eating. Basically, Silk Mandarin has a "secret" Chinese menu that is in English, and hiding in plain sight.....you just need to go to the back of the lengthy menu and look for the section where all the item numbers start with a C. I am looking forward to going back soon.

-Will

WillG wrote: I am looking forward to going back

You can't make up your mind?

Alas and alack, I went to Silk Mandarin today -- and it is not what it was. The closing mentioned elsewhere was temporary, but it's obvious that it's not the same place.

It is still listed as Silk Mandarin, but the shirts worn by the wait staff all say Silk Asian Tavern.

They now just have the buffet M-F -- nothing on the weekend, which was a disappointment.

The menu is far less interesting than it was.

If you order a pot of tea, they bring you hot water and one of those boxes where you get to select your Tazo tea.

Only two of us, so we only sampled two items, and they were okay, but not inspired.

However, wait staff (esp. one young woman) is enthusiastic, and she was very excited to tell us that they have hired a sushi chef and will soon begin doing dim sum. So maybe a visit back will be in order -- but very few of the items that we've enjoyed during LTH outings in the past were on the current (new, slick) menu. I hope they're just struggling to find their feet, rather than that we've lost a great venue for Chinese food.

I hope someone will try the weekday buffet and report on it. It would be nice to learn what form that has taken.

Hi,

In the last few weeks, I was by Rollins Road and Route 45. In this strip mall, I saw a restaurant named 'Silk Mandarin.' I will be by there soon enough to grab a menu.

It would seem they are related, though who knows.

Regards,

Based on the Yelpers - I don't think they're related.

Cynthia wrote:Alas and alack, I went to Silk Mandarin today -- and it is not what it was. The closing mentioned elsewhere was temporary, but it's obvious that it's not the same place.

It is still listed as Silk Mandarin, but the shirts worn by the wait staff all say Silk Asian Tavern.

They now just have the buffet M-F -- nothing on the weekend, which was a disappointment.

We went there today looking for a quick lunch. I was hoping for your typical entree/fried rice/little fried thing lunch special... but all they have is the buffet, or order from the menu (pricey entrees).

I looked at the buffet, and at first glance it seemed better than it turned out to be.
Hot and sour soup was a touch below average, but serviceable.
Apps include a flavorless spring roll, very good crab rangoon (esp. when a fresh batch was brought out), and a cold korean-style pancake.
There's four or five sushi rolls (salmon, spicy tuna, veg, california, maybe one more), which were decent, but nothing special.
Entrees included (tasted anything with a comment in parens):"Orange Pork" which looked like Yu Shiang, but was pretty bland unless you chow down on the peppers. Same for the BBQ Sauce Beef (also containing fried peppers, but no heat to speak of outside of the peppers themselves, and not distinctly different from the pork), fried rice, white rice, veg. chow mein (about what you'd expect), sesame fish (sweet and gloppy), s&s chicken, steamed fish, almond shrimp (good, but not what I was looking for).
I ended up eating too much (mostly crab rangoon, something of a weakness for me)
There was fresh fruit and a sticky-looking "tempura sweet potato" for dessert.

$12.50 including soft drink. Not worth it.