The moment I found out there was a place to get dim sum in Sioux Falls, I tried my darnedest to get in there for a review. Not only that, but the eatery- suitably named Yummy House– took over the former Kowloon Chinese Restaurant space on Sycamore Avenue right across from Hy-Vee. This happens to be near my child’s daycare. I could swing by whenever!
Did the restaurant not see the (random) stars aligning? They didn’t, because I called, emailed, and Facebook messaged a dozen times to no avail. I felt like a person getting ghosted on a dating app.
Finally, manager Joyce Chan answered my message and scheduled us to visit. Hallelujah.
I stopped by on a Friday afternoon with 605’s Jordan Cushman and John Snyder (I’m shocked there weren’t any posters of my headshot inside of the building warning staff to turn me away). The inside had murals of cartoon bubble tea and dumplings, and I think I literally exclaimed, “Cuuuuuute!”
Joyce greeted us and sat us at a prime spot in the corner. She then gave us the rundown.
“Yummy House is traditional Chinese food,” she said. “In Sioux Falls it’s typically American Chinese, but here it’s traditional.”
Dim sum is a Cantonese style of steamed dumplings and more items prepared in small, bite-sized portions. This is typically served via a mobile cart to seated patrons where they can pick and choose as many small plates as they desire and share (or don’t share) with tablemates.
“Dim sum is from China, and everyone can order and little by little they can share with each other,” said Joyce. “A lot of it is steamed, deep fried, and baked.”
Eventually carts will be pushed around, but Joyce says because of COVID-19, Yummy House is currently holding off.
“Everything dim sum is handmade from scratch. That’s why there aren’t a lot of people doing it – it’s a lot of work.”
Our table was soon full of dim sum, including the Steamed Chicken Bun, Walnut Bun, and the Porky Bun with Custard.
The Steamed Chicken Bun is a best seller, and we could see why as we demolished those first with our chopsticks. Before we tried the Walnut Bun, Joyce advised us to save that for last.
“That’s a dessert bun,” she said.
We moved on to the Piggy Bun. After taking multiple photos on our phones, social media, and for the magazine, we (sadly) dug in to the cute face looking up at us. This also had a sweet flavor.
TRY IT
APPETIZERS
+ CHICKEN WITH LETTUCE
CASSEROLE
+STEWED BEEF BRISKET
SOUP
+HOT AND SOUR SEAFOOD SOUP
MEAT
+BRAISED BEEF RIBS WITH SPICED SALT
SIZZLING PLATE
+IRON PLATE DENIM BONE
SEAFOOD
+IRON PLATE DENIM BONE
VEGETABLES
+SEASONAL VEGETABLES WITH OYSTER SAUCE OR GARLIC
NOODLES
+STIR FRIED BEER OR CHICKEN RIVER
“This is not at all what I expected but it’s very pleasant,” said Jordan. “It’s a great combination of sweet and salty.”
It was a citrus-like gelatin inside, and we all had dipped it in soy sauce by mistake, which ended up being a happy accident. As Jordan said, it made it the right dash of salty goodness to the sweet flavor.
As the empty plates were taken away, they were filled with more options, like the Shrimp Shumai, Black Pepper Beef, and Meat Rice Noodles.
“I like the jumbo shrimp. That one is a special,” said Joyce. “We order the shrimp from Boston.”
The Black Pepper Beef was one of my favorites, and I actually ate so much of that, that I missed trying the noodles.
Then came the Fried Dumplings, which were made with homemade spinach wraps.
“The owner wants to do everything by hand. She works starting at 3 a.m. and starts making everything fresh,” explained Joyce.
As we got to-go boxes for the large portions, we finally took a nibble of the Walnut Bun. The white chocolate and walnuts were the right way to end our feast.
Bottom Line
Yummy House not only is a foodie experience, but the team really did it right. From the décor, to the service, to the Porky Bun that will be on everyone’s Instagram, this is a great addition to the restaurant scene. And don’t worry, Joyce says they’ll be adding more cartoon buns in the future.
++++
Atmosphere
The cartoon dim sum and bubble tea on the walls put a smile on all of our faces right when we walked in. Everything about it was fun, from picking out items out of the novel-sized menu to sharing and chatting about the dishes. It’s what we all could use in 2020.
$
Value
A lot of the dim sum is $4.50-$6.50, and one of the most expensive main dishes was $16.99.
✓✓✓
Taste
Everything was so fresh and full of flavor. I’ll admit I was nervous to try the sweet buns, but they were delicious. Not only that, but I never thought I would really like the sweet and salty Porky Bun.
1602 S Sycamore Ave, Sioux Falls
(605) 338-6888
