Tis Me Michelle

I had this spot on my list for a while now, and finally had a chance to stop by. I’m always on the lookout for decent Chinese food. To be fair, I am not familiar with authentic Chinese food. And most of the time, I order from smaller take-out spots. This is definitely one of the fancier Chinese restaurants I’ve been to.

Parking: It was a bit of a maze, as when I went, there was a lot of construction happening around. I felt like I was driving into the wrong area. It’s located right by a Hilton, so even if you don’t find space in the lot right outside the restaurant, the larger parking lot with the hotel is a shared space with plenty of parking. There are a lot of little one-way streets, and that was a bit annoying. Given there are no trucks or construction, honestly, there would be no problem here.

Atmosphere: It’s a spacious space restaurant. I went during an off time, on a Monday, for lunch. I was the only one in the restaurant, which was kind of odd. Someone came by for a pick-up order, but that was it. The entire space has comfy chairs and booths. I love a comfy booth. I will say the place looks fancier than it is. I was very casual going in, and considering it wasn’t busy, I didn’t feel weird. I feel like overall, this is a no-fuss spot.

The Menu: There is a rather large menu. Pretty much all the entrees were $20$, or close to it. Pricier than I would have liked. I didn’t know what I wanted to commit to due to the prices. I didn’t want to do the basic General Tao, even though I probably would have enjoyed it. I asked for a few recs. I looked to see if any of the recs were on the lunch menu, which I was in the window for.

I landed on the Five Flavored Shredded Pork. It came with the choice of an Egg Roll or Soup. My waitress said Spring Roll, so I said Spring Roll… And that is what I got, but I wish I had gone for what the menu said and gotten the Egg Roll. The Spring Roll was not bad, just nothing special. It also came with white rice or fried rice, and of course, I got the fried rice.

The lunch portion was $15.99. I still think that’s expensive, but it was a decent portion. Enough for me to have leftovers for one more lunch the next day. I actually enjoyed the five-flavored shredded pork. I don’t know if five-flavored is referring to five-spice, it was kind of like a sweet & sour sauce. It had a touch of heat, but I wouldn’t call it a spicy dish. The pork was in small thin strips, so it does look shredded. I liked that it was mixed in with some veggies. Along with the pork was a nice serving of fried rice. It wasn’t really fried by any means, more like sautéed rice with the addition of egg and vegetables. I wasn’t mad at it, but the rice tasted more plain than a usual fried rice that has a savory soy sauce flavor. It did make the dish taste lighter, which I appreciated.

Overall: I enjoyed what I ordered. I am not opposed to going back. There were definitely other items I would have liked to try. The price range will definitely steer me to other spots. I just feel like if I go again, I’d lean toward the lunch menu so I get the best bang for my buck. However, the lunch menu is primarily the more popular/basic items you’d find at a local takeout spot. And I’m more intrigued by the other options.

One other thing to note is that initially, my waitress was coming around often to take my order and check in. Once my food arrived, she checked in one time, and then I had to wait quite a while. I probably waited a good half an hour after I finished eating to get a to-go box. It was another person who ended up bringing me my check. Totally understandable if they swapped shifts or she was on break. But considering I was the only one in the restaurant, I would have expected a bit more attentiveness.

Update: I did go back and tried a few more dishes. I enjoyed everything from this order much more, specifically the Chongqing La Zi Fish, a fried, yet still delicate flakey white fish, with that Sichuan heat. The Sichuan dumplings were a hit. We also had the cumin lamb and garlicky pea shoots, all good options. I would def go with someone to split a few things!

Rating: 7.9/10

Address: 1035 N Orlando Ave #105, Winter Park, FL 32789