Mystery Diner in Cary: China House serves delicious touchless takeout

Despite many restaurants opening to sit-down meals, some people are still concerned about it and rely on takeout menus for a dine-out treat. Even takeout transactions can be troublesome for some in our pandemic world.

China House, at 648 Northwest Highway in Cary, appears to understand this situation and has taken precautions to protect the takeout restaurant and its customers. China House has more than Plexiglas at the front desk – it has an ingenious contraption for cash and credit card transactions, and an airlock window to pass orders safely.

But the touchless transactions are just the beginning of the pleasurable take-home China House experience. The food is really good.

We called in our order, including chicken egg rolls ($2.80 for two egg rolls), a small won-ton soup ($2.35), a small hot and sour soup ($2.50), vegetable egg foo young (three patties, $7.50), large chicken fried rice ($7.50), a small beef with broccoli ($6.35) and a chicken with garlic sauce (one size, $10.80). After our call, the food was ready in 15 minutes.

Once home with our order, we made a nice presentation of the food on our plates, soup on the side. It looked appetizing and smelled wonderful.

The soup traveled well and was still steaming after our 10-minute ride home. The won-ton soup didn’t have the usual chicken-broth base, but a beefy one. The hot and sour soup had a bold flavor, a nice mix of vegetables and a spicy kick to it.

China House’s chicken egg rolls have a crispy wrap, and the filling contains an appealing hint of peanut butter. The egg rolls crunched when we bit into them, which we like and which makes them a good version of the appetizer.

The fried rice was flavorful and a nice accompaniment to our main dishes, which are the reason to go to China House.

The vegetable egg foo young patties were large with a pleasant brown gravy, which means it isn’t salty. The patties were tender, flavorful and cut with a fork. Enjoyed over a thin layer of white rice, the egg foo young was a treat.

The beef with broccoli comes in a bright and sultry dark sauce with fresh, crisp vegetables. The beef was thinly sliced, and each mouthful was accompanied by a good mix of beef, broccoli and carrot.

The chicken with garlic sauce was spicy, and we were warned about that. Some of us enjoyed the immediate punch, others needed a couple bites to get accustomed to it. The dish had a lot of vegetables, including some that don’t usually accompany chicken with garlic sauce, such as mushrooms and pea pods. And the sauce is very tasty.

Our order came with the requisite fortune cookies, but the three almond cookies were a welcome surprise.

So, if you are looking for a takeout option, China House is a solid choice.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: China House

WHERE: 648 Northwest Highway, Cary

PHONE: 847-639-1888

INFORMATION: eatchinahouse.com/menu