Yummy House Altamonte Springs — Restaurant in Altamonte Springs

We went for our first visit on the Chinese New year and really we shouldn't have. We jokingly named this place the "red flag restaurant" because there were ample reasons for us to have left....we had questions before going (ex. website says dim sum but it wasn't clear for that location) and we wanted take out, yet despite calling a dozen times during 30 minutes, nobody answered. RED FLAG

When we arrived we saw the phone was ringing, they were just ignoring it. we even asked the female manager and she said when they're busy they just don't answer. RED FLAG.

Then the entrance was packed with people, some waiting to pick up, some waiting to sit, and the very limited staff want keeping track of who was there for what our who was first RED FLAG

There was a large 25+ group set up in the back of the dining area that was obviously taxing the limited available staff and resources. There weren't enough servers so the manager was really just bouncing all over the place directing people, filling drinks, addressing the door and basically 'putting out fires'. RED FLAG

After about twenty minutes we were sat, then waited another 10-15 before the manager saw that nobody had visited us. We were honestly about to leave but then she came over, took our beverage and food orders and we crossed our fingers. RED FLAG

But then the food arrived, the salt and pepper calamari was first and it was fantastic! Then the dumplings which were average but good, then the roast duck which was room temperature and when asked we were told it was on purpose so it doesn't get soggy (that's b.s. because you can most certainly crisp up a duck in the oven before serving it) so we only tasted it but didn't eat it due to safety concerns. Then a fried rice which was outstanding, and then a roast pork dish which was also great. BTW, the manager was essentially our server throughout the visit.

So despite the concerns which are genuine and not small, and one dish which was questionable (we boxed it and tossed it later not wanting to deal with the issue) we did have some great food. We'll definitely try one more time to see if the chaos was the exception or the standard, but the food was...

Absolutely the Best Chinese Food.

I will start with the food because this is the absolute star of the show... easily worth all five stars!

You cannot go wrong with any of the Salt & Pepper appetizers. We love the tofu, but the seasoning which has a substantial but delightful kick makes any of them spectacular. Sorry our picture was taken about 2/3rds of the way though... because it is too good to wait for photos.

We tried the seafood pan fried noodles. AMAZING! As you can see from the pictures it is visually stunning with the best boi choi I've ever had. This is a delicious meal. great portion sizes as well.

The pan-fired dumplings are well-prepared and a delicate mix of flavors. Our daughter loves them. They do not pack the "wow" of the other dishes but not everyone wants that "wow"!

This trip we had the Cashew chicken as well. The sauce is light but spectacular. We ask for a second order of white rice... for a simple $1 add-on.

We have tried the sizzling plates on previous visits and they were great as well.

For a couple, an entree and an appetizer will probably be more than enough. But if you enjoy having a left-over feast. (This is why we have extra rice.

They serve hot tea in a pot with loose tea leaves. A Jasmine and an Oolong. The oolong would always be my choice a good earthy pot of tea that gets more robust as the meal progresses with very little bitter edge.

This strip mall restaurant is densely packed and not a great spot for a romantic date. But it is clean and well maintained. Well lit.

Service is very good... They use a team approach and you will get frequent visits to the table. This may not be your choice if you prefer a professional, committed server.

Yummy House Chinese is delicious food, served well. They do a robust take-out business, but this food is almost too good to...

I miss this place. I need to make time to come back here.

Coming from DFW of Texas, this is one of my favorite Chinese restaurant I love in central Florida. This location is in Altamonte Springs. Whenever my folks from out of state visits and crave for authentic Chinese food, I would take them here.

My favorites items: Every time I come here, I always have to order their roasted duck. Their plum hoisin sauce that goes with the roasted duck makes this cuisine so addicting! If you come here to try their roasted or Peking duck, make sure to call ahead to reserve the duck.

If you are coming from Dallas and likes Canton or Mỷ Cảnh restaurants, I would recommend ordering Yummy House’s clay pot cuisines. I also like their stir fry snow peas with scallops or stir fry asparagus with jumbo scallops. There’s so many more dishes at Yummy House I will need to try.

Stir fry scallops with the snow peas in XO sauce is addicting.

I have tried other claypot items and enjoyed all their claypot selections.

The neutrals and dislikes:

The restaurant is popular for their battered salted dishes with peppercorn. Well, I ordered an appetizer of that version once and it went into the trash can. If you don’t like salty oily greasy battered fried food, don’t bother ordering that. But for those who do like such food, they told me it’s delicious, a must have. I will pass on that.

Beef chow fun lacks a balance of sweet and saltiness, but I still order it for my daughter since she likes the chow fun noodles.

Fish maw soup is no match to my homemade crab and fish maw soup so I will pass on that next time.

I am on a quest to try everything on their menu (except for their deep fried battered oily appetizers). I will update the review with more pictures each time...