silk cuisine

656 lancaster avenue
bryn mawr, pa
(610) 520 2470

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 5

had a pleasant dinner out with my parents on saturday night at our old haunt in bryn mawr. silk cuisine served up the first pad thai i ever had, and in my mind it's still the best. however, as a fairly strict vegan of almost five years, i can no longer partake of this fabulous staple, as it contains fish sauce. fortunately, silk does seem to offer some veg-friendly fare, including lemongrass soup - a deeply flavorful broth full of fresh vegetables, pad see-ew - scruptious broad rice noodles and broccoli (hold the eggs), and occasional specials like steamed vegetable with peanut sauce and mock duck (this is just seitan stir-fry in a nice asian sauce). their two vegetarian curries are both good - the lovely red one in a coconut sauce with white rice; the yellow one mild, with soft tofu and a few too many snap peas and pea pods. the baked tofu i ordered the other night was a miss - it was just an unbearably hot bowl of cellophane noodles in broth with some veggies and plain tofu cubes - but their sauteed tofu appetizer, which consists of green salad and deep-fried tofu smothered in a delightful peanut dressing, is always a hit. silk cuisine is certainly not a vegan mecca, and i'd be shocked if they didn't use some variant of msg in every dish on their menu, but it's a good bet for those rainy days when your mom's in town and she seems nervous about the idea of you cooking for her.