Jeff, thanks for the bump. It's a shame that MK remains so underused.

I went to Chinatown on Saturday too, although to a place with no shortage of customers, Penang--we were inspired by a recently DVR'd Cook's Tour Singaopore episode. It had been ages since we last visited this place.

Well, first of all, the food is still great, and I love the flavors. It was very hard to know what to order with just a family of four. My only complaint about the food would be that the portion of beef in the delicious beef rendang was a bit small. Now, I do have a BIG complaint about the place.

Loud. Can I say loud. What. I mean my ears are still ringing. Perhaps it was the two tables of bacherlette party, but still, that place is loud. Loud, lound, loud, loud, loud, loud, loud.

Logging on today for the first time in a year or so...

Anyone been to MK since new management took over? How is it, the same?

same. the hot pots still kick arse. and the restaurant STILL needs saving.

To their hot pot-- The broth is quite interesting (very garlicy-- hot side has quite a bit of cumin). However, I find it strange to eat hot pot w/o any provided sauce. The meat also seemed a little stringy. To call their service "deliberate" is an understatement.

I am desperate to find a good sichuanese style hot pot in the area (MK is not quite to my liking. I am not a huge fan of LSC altogether anymore. Since CP and the new menu, their rising prices and shrinking portions aren't to my liking).

Their soup dumplings are the only ones that I've ever tried, and I've probably eaten about 50 of them. I always enjoyed them immensely. But the girl who used to make all the dim sum doesn't work there anymore, so I'm wondering how that part of the menu is now. I'm going to go get some soup dumplings tonight to find out. Maybe some scallion pancakes, too. Crossing my fingers.

BTW, Ed's potsticker house is great, but my only complaint, which is confirmed by G Wiv's pic, is that the bamboo steam tray-thingies look not too clean . MK has the right idea, serving the dumplings/bao on a piece of lettuce.

Well, I guess you can cross dim sum of the list of "must haves" here. The soup dumplings contained varying amounts of soup, ranging from little to none. They looked kind of nice, (9-10 pleats), were served on lettuce leaves, but were not too savory, and the steam tray-thingie didn't look all that great.

And as I entered the restaurant at around 8pm, there was 1 elderly couple leaving, but other than that, only 1 group in back, and they seemed to be friends of the management. And I wasn't too thrilled with the service. To put it mildly. (In her defense, it's probably pretty depressing working for tips and not having customers.)

actually, even under previous ownership the dumplings (pretty much all types of) were one of the few things I never really enjoyed at mandarin kitchen, they always sound tempting and I usually succumb to ordering one variety or another but they are definitely not the highlights of the meals there or IMO the strength of the place - noodles on the other hand are.

i never thought the service was lacking. especially when we had the hot pots.

xiao long bao is NOT the strength of the restaurant. do not read the above 3 posts and think this is New Green Bo or Shanghai Joe's.

the simple soup noodles are great, the skewered lamb kabobs are mildly close to those found in China. you can't get a decent combination of fish, pork kidney + vegetables + soup + rice for $22? anywhere else in the city.

zim wrote: the dumplings (pretty much all types of) were one of the few things I never really enjoyed at mandarin kitchen . .they are definitely not the highlights of the meals there or IMO the strength of the place - noodles on the other hand are.

TonyC wrote: do not read the above 3 posts and think this is New Green Bo or Shanghai Joe's.

?

quick question - is Mandarin Kitchen BYOB?

tia

-ab

last time I was there, about a month ago, Mandarin Kichen was BYOB

Was driving by Chinatown the other day and saw them putting up a new storefront board up (didn't even catch the words on there while dodging all the jaywalkers). Anyone been there in this past week or two know what's going on?

Last time I stopped by, maybe a month ago, they were very closed. But it was a Monday, so I can't say whether or not that means anything.

Quick update on Mandarin Kitchen:

Stopped by last night because we were in the mood for hotpot, and I saw a new banner advertising "Authentic China Little Fat Lamb Hotpot". It's $13.95 for all you can eat (seafood items are extra charge, along with some other "special" veges like enoki mushrooms and stuff.

On a Friday night, the place was more than half full. For $13.95, it is a pretty good deal. Highlights were the sliced lamb (which I usually don't eat), and the fact that wontons, hand made noodles and scallion pancakes are included.

Mike and I went back again today for lunch, and had the spicy hot pot base. Not ma la like LSC, but the heat slowly built up for me (not for him tho, coz he has a higher tolerance). Service was great!

They still have the Shanghaiese and Szechuan dishes posted on the wall, but it looks like everyone was having the hot pot.

And while the English name remains the same, the chinese name has changed, which may indicate a change in owners?

I gather that Mandarin Kitchen is under new management, but the hot pot is still recommended by Chinese friends. We went recently, and most of the clientele was Chinese, and most eating the hot pot. The order card is somewhat confusing (and don't expect help from the staff, which is friendly but whose English was limited!). We ordered the spicy version -- which turned out to be teeming with what resembled Gary's chili oil! It was good (but hot!), but we wanted to drink some soup as well, which was not possible. If you are spice averse, choose the "soup" version (I have no idea what the "nutritional" hot pot is!). There is also a "spicy/soup" option. This is a split version, with a divider in the hot pot leaving one side spicy and the other normal -- ideal for those who can't make up their minds. The meats -- beef and lamb thin sliced -- were perfect. I couldn't quite figure out how to dunk noodles into the hot pot with chopsticks or the little strainer. Skip the scallion pancakes -- too oily. But the ingredients are fresh. This is still a nice option for dining in Chinatown.


Mandarin Kitchen
2143 S. Archer St.
Chicago, IL 60616
312-328-0228

chapulin wrote:(I have no idea what the "nutritional" hot pot is!).

Probably some Chinese herbal based soup base.

chapulin wrote: I couldn't quite figure out how to dunk noodles into the hot pot with chopsticks or the little strainer.

Most hot pot noodles tend to be on the firmer side, which allows it to cook a little longer in that hot broth w/o breaking down. Just dump them in there with your hand, and then use chop stick to fish them out later (this can be a bit of a challengen w/o some stick skills

Does anyone eat here anymore? They lost a GNR, no?
I haven't had hotpot in a few years, and MK was always our spot. Any recent intel? Where else for good hotpot? LSC?

Jefe wrote:Does anyone eat here anymore? They lost a GNR, no?
I haven't had hotpot in a few years, and MK was always our spot. Any recent intel? Where else for good hotpot? LSC?

HI,

Haven't been there in years.

Mandarin largely ceased to be with a new name in Chinese, but retaining the name New Mandarin in English. If it were to obtain a GNR, it had to be on its own merits.

If you go, an update on what is happening would be appreciated.

Regards,

Mandarin Kitchen is still one of our regular Chinatown spots and has gotten a lot more popular in the past few years. On the weekends there might be lines coming out the door with two hour waits. The chile oil is much better (toastier) than it used to be, and the sliced meats seem to be of better quality, too. They still have mediocre XLB, and very good house made noodles--but have added a few more snackish items to the hotpot menu like glutinous pumpkin pancakes and lamb buns. New hot pot infrastructure is in place at the tables though apparently not a cent has gone into de-stanking the bathrooms. Descend the stairs at your own risk.

MK is certainly no longer in need of saving, but it's worth a try if you haven't been in while for hotpot.

Ate my weight in hot pot today. We went with half spicy. It was a good choice. $16.95 AYCE. I highly recommend the wontons for the main. We had the beef and lamb. Couldn't leave without an order of Shanghai noodles. So authentic and delicious we ordered an order to go. I don't think this place has missed a beat. Hit Chiu Quon Bakery on the way home for some apple pies.

No discount for cash, and the tip was already included at 15%.