Szechuan Kingdom - the not so secret Chinese menu

Interesting Chinese food can be had in the northern suburbs.

But first, thanks to Cathy2 for discovering the existence of a Chinese menu at Szechuan Kingdom in Northbrook, and thanks also to Charlotte for translating the menu.

I converted Charlotte's translation to WordPerfect and Word formats. Here is a link to the Word version.

http://www.ritzlin.com/chow/Szechuan%20 ... 20menu.doc

Here's the story.

Yesterday, after a good day in the store, Wife #1 and I decided to go out to dinner. Recently, Cathy2 had given me the Chinese menu at Szechuan Kingdom in Northbrook, so we decided to try it. We've been to SK many times over the years because it's one of the better Chinese restaurants in the area. The English-language menu is pretty standard, but dishes are well-executed.

This was our first try with the Chinese menu. It's a set menu for 2, 4, 6, 8 or 9 people. Prices are modest ranging from $26.95 for two people to $149.95 for nine.

We walked in without a reservation and I asked for the Chinese menu. The host was a little taken aback or perhaps didn't quite understand me so he just continued to our table with the English menu. I knew the Chinese menus were next to the English ones, so I grabbed one.

When we sat down I pointed to the Chinese menu and asked for the dinner for two. The waiter was a bit surprised and asked if we had ever tried it before. I explained that it was a first for us, but we had a translation and wanted to try it.

At that point everything changed. Service had always been pleasant; now it was positively effusive. Our waiter took time to explain dishes to us and suggested how to eat some of them. He apologized that they were out of crab and asked if was OK to substitute lobster. Such a hardship! We readily agreed.

He and at least four other staffers came by our table to ask how everything was and how did we learn about the Chinese menu. They were obviously very pleased to have people who were interested.

We also had visits from people at two other tables asking how we had gotten this feast. When we explained, their eyes lit up. More potential chowists.

The first dish was a complimentary one not on the menu. They called it imitation duck. It was bean curd wrapped around chopped mushrooms and served over pickled vegetables. The bean curd was a good imitation of fowl (it even had a 'skin'). Good texture, though a bit bland. Perhaps some plum sauce would have enlivened it. The pickled veggies were sweet and a nice counterpoint.

Next was soup of day, a thin chicken broth w/tofu, thin-sliced beef & spring onions. The beef was very tender. Chinese vinegar was brought to the table for us to add as we thought appropriate. We tried it first without the vinegar as the waiter suggested, then with a small amount. We liked it better with the vinegar, but the differences were small. The soup had a subtle flavor; Wife #1 liked it a lot.

Then came the beef brisket & tofu casserole served in a handsome earthenware dish. It was peppery (black pepper, not red). This was the only spicy dish we had. It was braised and had the rich flavor one expects. The tougher parts had broken down partly, not completely as is usual with western braised dishes, so they still had some texture. But the beef was tender enough to eat easily and the texture added interest. A very good dish indeed.

Salt & pepper lobster had a very light breading (almost tempura-like). It was cooked with diced bell peppers & onions. Excellent. The meat was very sweet. It was messy eating, but so what.

Seasonal vegetable with oyster sauce was a mild dish. The vegetable was spinach-like with dark green leaves. We asked what it was. The name sounded like "yu-chi." We were told that when it matures, it has lots of tiny seeds. Anyone have an idea what it is?

The fresh fruit was orange slices. Nice. They were served at the same time as

Dessert soup, which was pieces of fruit in tapioca and a milky fluid. It was a pleasant finish to the meal.

The price was $26.95. Total cost with beverage, tax and tip was about $40.00 for the two of us. There was so much food, that we took home enough for another meal. Such a deal.

As you'll see from the translation, dishes are added and sometimes substituted for larger groups. Among them are whole black bean fish, vegetables with dried scallops, seafood in bird's nest, napa cabbage with duck. It all sounds very interesting. Definitely worth getting a group together.

Comments/corrections/suggestions from those more knowledgeable about Chinese food than I are appreciated.

One more note. The owner came to our table several times. The last time he said that he had been thinking about doing a translation, but was afraid his English wasn't good enough to do it properly. So I handed him a copy of Charlotte's translation. He looked it over carefully and asked several questions. He was very pleased.

Szechuan Kingdom
545 Waukegan Road (In Brookside Mall)
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-562-1368
Note: Brookside Mall is about half a mile south of Lake Cook Road. It also contains a Trader Joe's, Max & Benny's deli, and Kegon (a teppan/sushi restaurant).

Hi,

I am beyond thrilled! My reaction was the same as the other diners, where is this great food coming from? Nothing on the menu indicates there is anything there like what you had.

Between you, Charlotte and I --- we have greatly improved the Chinese restaurant experience on the North Shore. Now I don't always have to drive into Chicago for an excellent Chinese meal.

We'll be in touch after the Fair to get a dinner together.

I'm just dancing on clouds today!

Great post! I had lunch there last week and talked to the owner about the Chinese menu and he was very open to discussing it with me as well. I can't wait to try it.

George R wrote:Seasonal vegetable with oyster sauce was a mild dish. The vegetable was spinach-like with dark green leaves. We asked what it was. The name sounded like "yu-chi." We were told that when it matures, it has lots of tiny seeds. Anyone have an idea what it is?

I'd guess it's yu choy (a name we see in stores here) or yow choy (name given in Bruce Cost, Asian Ingredients). According to Cost, the name means 'oil vegetable' -- the seeds produce an oil like rapeseed oil.

GeorgeR,

As someone who does their modest best to aquire, translate, and distribute foreign language menus, I want to say that yours is a report of my dreams. Like C2, I am thrilled for you.

Regards,
Erik M.

Erik M. wrote:GeorgeR,

As someone who does their modest best to aquire, translate, and distribute foreign language menus, I want to say that yours is a report of my dreams. Like C2, I am thrilled for you.

Regards,
Erik M.

Ditto. And kudos to C2 and CrazyC for making it happen.

Amata, thanks for the information about the vegetable.

Thanks to all for the kind words.

But the best part is in the eating. I can see that a Chinese outing is in the offing. After Cathy finishes her County Fair duties this weekend, we'll work on a dinner.

Short follow-up. We had leftovers the next day.

The yu choy dish tasted better; I guess the flavors had more time to mingle.

We didn't have any plum sauce in the house, so I put a little bit of fruit preserves on The "imitation duck." I liked it better that way.

The brisket and tofu casserole was fine. It seemed a little hotter. I think I was mistaken and there is some type of red pepper in there.

HI,

This evening I had dinner with George R from the secret menu, which CrazyC very kindly translated. We had the dinner for two, whose price is now $29.95:

Dinner for 2 $26.95

1 Dessert Soup
2 Fresh Fruit
3 Seasonal Vegetables with Oyster Sauce
4 Beef Brisket and Tofu Casserole
5 Salt and Pepper Crab
6 Soup of the Day

Dinner began with a beef soup accompanied by a thin soy sauce with a ginger infusion to be added to taste:



There is the possibility the menu has been changed since CrazyC translated it. Instead of salt and pepper crab, we received salt and pepper shrimp. This dish for me was the most disappointing as it was more pasty flour than salt and pepper.



The beef brisket and tofu casserole more than made up for the disappointing salt and pepper shrimp. Flavored with ginger and star anise (and perhaps 5-spice powder) with tender beef and nice slices of tender tendon included.



The seasonal vegetable (Chinese broccoli?) was sauteed in garlic, which I liked a lot. George R felt it should have been drained further.



Dessert soup was flavored with coconut cream with tapioca and some bits of peaches.



Dinner closed with orange slices, orange cookies and almond cookies.

I can confidently state George R and I were the only party who ordered from the secret Chinese menu this evening. When we indicated we wanted to order from the Chinese menu, they reconfirmed, "You want authentic Chinese dinner?" This was repeated again with our waiter and later a hostess. They seemed to be pleased though in disbelief we really wanted the authentic Chinese menu.

A very nice evening with good company and interesting conversation.

Regards,

What I find amusing is that the majority of the menu items on the secret authentic menu are classic Cantonese (Hong Kong style) dishes despite the restaurant being named Szechuan Kingdom - not really Szechuan food at all. What's also amusing is that the set dinners seem pretty similar at all locations be it at Chinatown or other places; It is nice though to find an authentic menu so far north of Chinatown.

Typical dishes you'll always find: ginger & scallion lobster or dungeness crab, salt & pepper shrimp/squid/smelt, seasonal vege (yu choy or gai lan) often stirfried w/ something - beef/fish pieces/squid, soup du jour, crispy fried chicken, stirfried beef "hunks" HK style/black pepper style/ sizzling plate-style and a hotpot (claypot) dish along w/ dessert soup.

Nice find C2 & CrazyC; I wonder if they "jacked up" the price to $29.95 b/c of the new interest in the secret menu.

Also, I haven't picked up a local Chinese newspaper in Chicago before, but the ones back home typically list set dinners & specials w/ the restaurant ads; A good way to tell if a Chinese restaurant has a secret menu.

HI,

This is my original post several years ago when I discovered there was a parallel universe at Szechuan Kingdom:

December 9, 2003 wrote:Hi,

I had my own suburban secret menu experience recently. I went to a place in Deerfield which has a chinese lunch buffet for $7.99. If you asked for a thumbnail sketch, I would say it is exclusively schaumburg chinese. That is until my recent visit.

At the next table was a group of Chinese businessmen. They were getting plenty of food unavailable from the buffet or the menu:

- Whole crab prepared probably salt and pepper
- Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
- Chinese watercress/spinach with some garlic and minced pork
- A clay pot with a beef and tofu stew
- A whole fish prepared with some sauce, et al

I was able to get the attention of one of the servers. I said nothing on that table is on the menu, how can I order that in the future. They replied from the chinese menu. I inquired for a copy but they said it is in Chinese, I said no problem. With a totally shocked expression on their face, they came back with a copy --- which I haven't had time to arrange translating yet.

The real kicker is this: Schaumburg Chinese family dinner for 4 is approximately $64. Chinese Menu Family dinner for 4 is $52 .. and guess who is getting the better food? The Chinese!

Food I drive into Chicago for is a mere few miles away if only you can get the gosh darn Chinese menu!

There really is something to this Chinese secret menu.

Regards,
CAthy2

Thanks to George R for test driving the Chinese menu experience at Szechuan Kingdom.

Cathy2 wrote:The real kicker is this: Schaumburg Chinese family dinner for 4 is approximately $64. Chinese Menu Family dinner for 4 is $52 .. and guess who is getting the better food? The Chinese!

Food I drive into Chicago for is a mere few miles away if only you can get the gosh darn Chinese menu!

There really is something to this Chinese secret menu.

Regards,
CAthy2

This is where the Chinatown restaurants do it right. They provide the exact same Chinese set dinners in English and Chinese; It just makes good business sense. If it's the good deal that attracts diners, wouldn't you want to attract as many as possible? Also, something unique to Chicago thus far (in my experience) is the non-Asian user-friendliness of the picture menus (ie: Ken Kee, Lee Wing Wah, Joy Yee's, etc) which totally facilitate ordering of more "authentic" fare by those who cannot read the language. If only they could do the same w/ the specials on the wall - THAT would be outstanding. Just makes good business sense to make the dining experience so user-friendly, even at the expense of having a cheesy picture menu (I think it's kinda like those displays outside Japanese restaurants); I'm wondering if these sorts of menus might be more "handy" for European restaurants for tourists - I know I'd be THE French (add any other ethnic group, Middle Eastern, Indian, African, etc) restaurant for tourists w/ handy-dandy pictures.

Jay K wrote:I'm wondering if these sorts of menus might be more "handy" for European restaurants for tourists - I know I'd be THE French (add any other ethnic group, Middle Eastern, Indian, African, etc) restaurant for tourists w/ handy-dandy pictures.

Some years ago, I had a friend from Moscow who was regularly visiting the USA. His command on English was so-so. For quite a while, Denny's was his favorite place largely because he knew what he was going to eat from the pictures.

***

It was mentioned on this board and confirmed by friends, Seven Wives in Chinatown has family meals in Chinese and English. The Chinese family meals are not only more interesting, they are also cheaper.

Those specials on the wall in Chinese drive me wild with curiosity. It might be amusing to have an entire meal selected from the specials without any clue what will arrive.

Tank Noodle on Argyle issued new menus earlier this year, which are heavy with pictures. While the photography or their reproduction isn't great,. The photos do offer an idea of what you might expect.

Regards,

Last post in the thread is from April 2006. Was wondering if anyone was at the restaurant this year and ate the dishes from the secret menu. Considering checking it out and would love to hear feedback!

Been going there a couple times a month for lunch, still as good as always but last time the HS soup was a little weak on the sour. Dumplings and snow pea salad with julienned ginger are my favorite things there.

According to online reports, Szechwan Kingdom has closed. We confirmed this earlier tonight when we called and learned that their number has been disconnected. I last ordered from here back in September of 2018, so the closure happened sometime between then and now.

I can't say I'll miss it too much because even when going in with tempered expectations, it was middle of the road for the category. That said, after years of mostly disappointing trial and error, I did find a few items I really liked (bbq pork egg foo young, Chinese greens, pork fried rice).

Oh well. I certainly feel bad for the owners and the folks who lost their jobs. They were very nice.

=R=

The last couple of times we went there service was beyond bad,
even tho we were one of only a couple tables
Sad but sometimes restaurants have an arc.
My current Chinese spot is Golden Chef in Wheeling.
Not necessarily the best,
the best that is the closest to Deerfield LOL

Sadly, it appears they are done. We went there in early December and found a handwritten sign in the door that said "closed for remodeling" and dated November 1. There was no sign of work inside the restaurant.

The secret Chinese menu was good and the lunch buffet -- by the limited standards of such things -- was above average.

irisarbor wrote:The last couple of times we went there service was beyond bad,
even tho we were one of only a couple tables
Sad but sometimes restaurants have an arc.
My current Chinese spot is Golden Chef in Wheeling.
Not necessarily the best,
the best that is the closest to Deerfield LOL

Golden Chef went way downhill in my opinion when Mama left. The kids dumbed down the menu adding pan-asian stuff, just not as good. There's a place on Buffalo Grove Road just north of Dundee I've been to once and liked a lot, New Golden Dragon. I'd need to try a few more things to give it a "count me a fan" but give it a shot. It's tucked behind Garden Fresh.