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Cermak-Chinatown (Red)
It's generally a good sign when a Chinese restaurant is packed with Chinese people and such is the case at Happy Chef.
The menu is huge and the food was really flavorful without being too heavy. However, the tables are covered with sheets of plastic reminiscent of garbage bags that they use as quickly removable tablecloths. Uber-tacky. But, they do serve FUKIN Fried Rice (see my pic.)
In the immortal (though possibly heard incorrectly) and fitting words of Lauren Hill, "you might dim sum, but you just lost one." I would never set foot in this place again. The experience was so bad, in fact, that one person (at least) of the group I was with has sworn off dim sum for the forseeable future.
The problem was, for many of the group on the Chinatown Neighborhood Tour, this was our first experience with dim sum. While Chinese food is as American as apple pie (apple custard with mango chunks?), this particular subcuisine is not.
I like to credit myself (though some may disagree) with being decently smart. I notice patterns in restaurants and can usually figure out a unique ordering style. Not here. Happy Chef is ordering chaos. Do you order off the dim sum menu? Do you order off colorful laminated posters on the wall? Do you order from the passing carts? Wish I had a definitive answer, but I've been there and I still don't know. I think it's a combination of the three (though how a final bill is added up is beyond my primitive math skills).
Now, I do know one thing - a piece of wisdom I can impart through all the confusion. On the menu, you can order one, two, or three of anything. This refers to the number of small plate servings, not the number of items. The twelve desert buns I got were pretty incredible though (no, I didn't eat all nine, only seven or so).
Unfortunately, beyond even the language barrier that prevents asking a server for help with figuring out what's in something (there should be a rule for dim sum that the most red meat based part of a food should be in the title - I'm looking at you beef filled "chive" cake), the food's not even worth the hassle. Said buns were the only palatable part of the meal. I know this place is in a mall and all that, but it is Chinatown Square Mall so I did expect the food to taste better and be made with a little more care than stale Panda Express!
Maybe this is the dim sum equivalent of a diner (there did seem to be a lot of large families in here enjoying a Saturday meal). I don't know - I was unable to ask. Whatever it is, this is not a good place to start a dim sum appreciation society for sure. Though it might be a good place to practice Chinese.
*cradles self*
**rocks back and forth while whimpering "i'll never teeeelllll**
***tries to eat while visions of dirty diapers, clogged toilets and nasty mops flood (hyuck) the recesses of my memory banks***
...THE BATHROOMS!!! ....THE BATHROOMS.... DEAR GOD ALMIGHTY....THE BATHROOMS!!!!!!!
I HATE you, Lao Shanghai for bringing my group of yelpers to...this.
The chef may be happy but what about the patrons?
I enjoyed the custard filled buns and this was the highlight of my meal although it was actually not even something I ordered. My egg with shrimp and rice was literally that. The egg wasn't cooked (or at least it didn't look cooked in any way), the shrimp were good but covered in egg goo and the rice was well...rice-like and plain. I also got steamed shrimp dumplings and I didn't like the jellyfish-esque "shell" although the filling was very good.
Bathrooms were stinky, garbage bags doubled as table clothes and they started cleaning our table before we had completely left it. I don't know...just not the best dining experience in my opinion.
SPOILER ALERT: Be careful ordering if you are a vegetarian.
There is a downside and downside to going to a restaurant where all of the diners are Asian. The upside of going to Happy Chef was that it seemed to be popular among Asians and they should be a good judge of the cuisine. The downside is that our table had a ridiculously hard time communicating with our server.
After finding out that Lao Shanghai gave away our table we scrambled to find a place that could accomodate 11 hungry people and fast, enter Happy Chef. The interior of Happy Chef is nothing fancy, actually it's kind of unappealing; a large space with stark white walls, color copies of dishes taped to the walls, and layers of plastic table cloths resembling Hefty bags covering the tables*. I also heard from multiple sources that both bathrooms were stinky and the ladies seemed to have some sort of flood situation going on. If you're looking for ambiance this place doesn't have it.
We weren't really given an explanation as to how things work, we were just given 3 different menus (for the table, not each) two of which were laminated and badly water logged. Most of the items on the menu offer no explanation, which I think led to confusion and dissatisfaction with some of the dishes at the table. First, there were servers wandering around with dishes in hand offering them to tables like some sort of odd, food-based auction. Second, we didn't understand our server and vice versa she took 2 of our 5 orders and walked away before we flagged her down to let her know we weren't done.
Our food was delivered to the table haphazardly even though we weren't sharing. One of the first items to arrive were billed as pan fried chive cakes, however when the vegetarian who ordered them cut into one we discovered that it was meat filled. After much confusion they were removed from our bill. LESSON: Don't assume that something is veggie just based on its name. We also got too many steamed custard buns, which ended up being a good thing; instead of getting 2 individual buns we got 2 orders (6 total). Luckily the buns helped tide over those unhappy with their meals.
Since I am a ridiculously picky eater I played it safe. I split an order of crab rangoon and got an order of fried shrimp dumplings. The crab rangoon was very good, not the best ever but good. I also liked the shrimp dumplings, they were balls of diced shrimp with what looked like a crispy fried noodle coating.
Prices were reasonable, but the reviews on the food at my table were mixed. I don't really see myself coming back here, but then again I'm probably not a dim sum kind of girl.
* I won "guess how many plastic bags are on the table" my guess was 26, the correct number was 31!
I usually only go to dim sum with my parents (except for this one time where I sat alone a crowded dim sum joint. lets just say - dim sum is not the place to go alone because they look at you like you're some loner - but that story is irrelevant)
I chose to go to dim sum with my boyfriend after a long night of partying. The menu is definitely wallet friendly, and hits the spot in the field of good grubby dim sum to have accompany any hangover at Sunday brunch. Get the cow tripe and chicken feet - its pretty much overflowing from the tiny little dish they serve it in. Everything else was mediocre, but the staff was friendly unlike most Chinese restaurants I've been to. The dumplings were far from elegant, but I didn't care. I was eating on tables covered with plastic sheets so I knew what to expect and not expect. This is my place to go get cheap dim sum, but I'll take my parents else where when I know they're paying for it.
I have been here twice, and while it is ok, nothing spectacular. I did appreciate how we could feast for cheaply though--with tax and tip it came to $8 per person and I was stuffed.
but as someone else noted, the bathroom was vile, which makes me nervous.
I don't think I would come back unless someone else really wanted to go, it just didn't wow me.
i guess new york chinese food spolied me. I just wasn't that impressed with Happy Chef. I liked… Read more »
So came here to try a new place for dim sum.. Had the chinese broccoli.. it was okay.. nothing special... Also had some shrimp dim sum, some bbq pork bao, and a crab dumpling thing.. All were ok.. nothing great at all.. plus I just didn't care for the garbage bags covering the tables..
I wanted to give this 2 stars, but this was wasn't bad.. it wasn't like the service sucked.. everything was just spectacularly unimpressive..
As far as dim sum goes, a-okay sums up the small plates I ordered at Happy Chef quite nicely. The shrimp dumplings were chock full of well-seasoned shrimp and the shark's fin dumpling soup was bursting with flavors. Dim sum novice can rest assured that picture menus are available.
And that's where the highlights end.
The entrees themselves were passable. The beef tenderloin and the fish with chinese broccoli, while large in portion sizes, were both too greasy for my liking and were both clearly MSG-loaded. Protein lovers will also be disappointed to see that they skimp on the meat, while carbaholics will rejoice at the sight of the white rice that constitutes nearly 80% of the entree.
As far as ambiance goes, none can be found inside this cramped eatery. Also, unless you come off-hours, don't even think about snagging a table. If you manage to find a table, however, expect communal table dining.
I enjoy appetizers usually more than the main course, so a meal full of appetizers? You can sign me up any day! The asian ratio is usually a fairly good indication of how good an asian place is. I was pleased to see a very good asian ratio. Now, I've had dim sum at a few different places, and honestly this meal didn't really stand out. It was still good, just not noteworthy.
The service was a little different - no carts being wheeled around probably due to limited space. They had a dim sum menu as well as servers carrying around trays of food so I was a little perplexed about how to order. We asked for the usuals and had a lackluster experience. As American as it may seem, shouldn't the usual Chinese dishes be out of the ballpark? I mean, Americans love Chinese cuisine as much as their hamburgers... perhaps even more.
After using the bathrooms, I mentally downgraded them to a 2-star - mystery moisture in a bathroom is never a good sign. The $13 bill given how full I was, earned back Happy Chef their lost star. Much to my chagrin, I probably wouldn't go back here again.
I frequent Happy Chef for dim sum and (disclaimer!) I used to work there as a cashier and hostess.
I usually head there with 1 or 2 other people so the service is "decent." But I went a couple of weeks ago with a group of 10 and the service was as slow as watching paint dry. You would think they'd try to even out the service to larger tables, especially since we'd be paying a lot more. They brought out one or 2 trays at a time, and for a table of 10, that will not work. The wait staff was hardly around and difficult to wave down. Such an awful experience. They couldn't even get our soda orders correctly.
The wait staff seems to be constantly changing (employees don't stay for long) so there's always a new idiot wandering around who doesn't know what to do.
At this point, I'm not even sure if I'll go back even if it is just 1 or 2 of us dining. Our group of 10 left the restaurant slightly hungry - we couldn't even order more food if we wanted to. Terrible service!!! Their dinner is mediocre too, nothing special and the "free lobster" deals are a rip off.
Got dim sum here a few days ago.
Nothing to complain about.
But sadly, nothing to rave about.
There aren't as many choices for dim sum dishes as other places, but their food was just as good. They have non-dim sum items you can order too during their dim sum hours. We ordered crab rangoon and salt & pepper squid. Crab rangoon burned - it was fresh out of the fryer, but it definitely tasted too sweet for some reason. Salt and pepper squid .... yummm.... even though it's not dim sum...
Food came out quick. Waitress was nice. Not pricey. Not busy on Monday mornings.
This place isn't great enough to garner a second trip from my group, so I'll keep the review short as well.
Service was decent, even through it wasn't too busy just yet and there were plenty of servers to go around.
Food was the kind that at 4 AM after a night a heavy drinking would taste great, but at 6 PM on a sober and empty stomach just made me want to go get a sandwich from somewhere else.
Bottom line: Not worth it. The only redeeming quality is that it is fairly inexpensive. Still, I'd say spend your money somewhere else.
Decent fried luobo gao (daikon cakes), mediocre won-ton soup (the skin was a bit thick and the broth too salty). But will definitely try this place again.
Went to this restaurant on a Friday early afternoon for DimSum. Yum Yum!!! It is a typical chinese restaurant, plain decor, plastic table cloths, minimal service but the food is right on!!!! We had steamed buns, one with chicken and ginger, the other bbq pork, really great. Also a couple different dumplings, each of them quite outstanding, texturally and flavor wise. We ate really well and only had a $15 bill!!!! Awesome. Definitely check it out when in china town!!!!!!!! Great place, will be back many times!!!!!
Perfect for what it is: genuine dim sum--cheap, fast, hot, and good. Dirty bathrooms, but what do you expect?
Ehh. I was practically raised on dim sum, so whereas my standards may be a little "precise," I also have some idea of what's worth it and what isn't. Happy Chef's prices and portions were about average. But I was really surprised at the fact that they make you mark your order onto a paper from a giant picture menu and then bring the dishes out-- this is not what real dim sum is (though it's a convenience for the uninitiated).
Real dim sum --or, "yum cha"-- involves little ladies wheeling around carts piled high with bamboo baskets of steamed goodies (does this even exist in Chicago??!). The point is that you sit around with some buddies and drink pots and pots of tea, and when a cart wheels by whose food strikes your fancy, you request it, get your card stamped, and eat it while continuing to schmooze. Likewise, the whole meal is basically a recreational activity that can take hours, and Happy Chef's atmosphere was not at all conducive to that: I guess I just don't like eating on sheets of white plastic reminiscent of garbage bags under awkward fluorescent lighting.
The food: Nothing was really amazing. The turnip cake, shrimp roll, and shrimp dumplings all were sub-par-- none was particularly fresh and the textures were off. Aside from the selection being rather limited for a dim sum restaurant in a Chinatown, everything else was okay-good.
2 stars, because even though the food was generally acceptable and occasionally quite tasty, I have definitely had better... and dim sum (no matter how cheap) isn't worth it unless the entire experience hits a certain standard.
I just realized I dont have a review for Happy Chef yet! I've been here a couple times for dimsum. It's a great staple dimsum place. I like their garlic baby bok choy--its not really part of their dimsum menu but u can get it ala carte.
The service is fast. Once seated, you dont have to wait for tea and they check on you several times to see if youre ready to order yet. They also let you sit as long as you want and Ive never felt rushed out of it yet. The plates are huge. Whenever I've gone, my eyes are always bigger than my appetite and we end up ordering much more than we can finish because we often forget how large the portions are.
Everytime I have visitors, they always want dimsum. So far this is the only place I will take them too or suggest to my out-of-towners.
the chef may be happy, but not the dinners.
the vegetables were way over-cooked, 20 some minutes past from the first dish to the last dish.
Not bad for a dimsum restaurant in Chicago offering good prices and a nice selection of dishes to choose from!
By far my favorite dimsum dish in the entire world of Cantonese dishes are shrimp dumplings. I was impressed by their plump lumps of shrimp inside the dumpling! Usually all you get is lots of dense pork and shreds of shrimp. Check out http://luckytastebuds.... for pictures of the dishes we ordered.
Overall verdict of the restaurant Happy Chef:
Taste: 8. (I'd go back. No chicken feet next time though.)
Plating: 6? 7? (It's pretty standard)
Originality: 5 (Exactly what you'd expect)
Value: 8 (The bill came out to be $40 all inclusive! Good deal for all that food!)
Ambiance: 6-7 (but what do you expect? It's dimsum...it's always loud and kinda messy)
I'm sort of surprised my my 3 star rating because I thought this would be a 4 until I actually added up all the parts of our dim sum experience.
It's great, reasonably fast dim sum. The food was good, too, though not incredibly extraordinary. The custard buns are not to be missed, though.
The atmosphere and service is chaotic and crowded as expected, though the overstuffed fish tanks on the walls are a little gross. We had to ask for water from 4 different people until someone finally came back with some, though again, kind of expected.
As others have noted, I don't like the table set up they've got going on. Since so many of the tables are large, round ones, they really struggle with where to seat parties of 4 or less. This lead to my party of 4 waiting while larger tables who'd arrived after us sad down before us. Our wait on a Sunday around 1pm on Memorial Day weekend was only 20 minutes or so, though.
I like the ordering system of filling out the list of small plates you'd like to try and then having the servers just bring them out. They also have people circling with entrees you can purchase and try. The menu is nice and has pictures to be extra clear on what you're ordering. I liked everything we got, but didn't especially love anything other than the custard buns. Everything was definitely standard and good, though. My sweet rice in taro leaf definitely needed to be steamed longer since some of the meat in the middle was a tad icy. blech. The Hot and Sour Soup was tasty and huge, but it's made with shrimp instead of pork and while it was an interesting change and still yummy, I think I like the pork better.
All in all, I'd definitely go again. Good food for very cheap (most small plates were $2-$3) and an interesting meal to share with friends in Chinatown. Try it out!
Happy Chef Happy Chef. Love the name. They have good dinner dishes. Unfortunately, after a while, a lot of places start tasting the same. Not that the food was bad or anything. There just wasn't any (for me at least) distinguishing factors that set it apart from the rest. Would I go back? Sure! Is it on the top of my list? Uhh... my list is too long... it didn't even make it on.
Craving dim sum one weekend I dragged my boyfriend with me to Happy Chef. Having had dim sum at a great place in NY's Chinatown...I was underwhelmed.
I had....
-steamed BBQ pork (decent) but not the best.
-baked BBQ pork (my favorite)
-Rice noodle with dried shrimp (flavorless)
-pork rib tips in black bean sauce (had a lot of tendons, hard to eat)
- fried pork dumplings (plain, we took one bite and had to agree it was not worth eating)
along with 3 sodas the bill came to $20 which wasnt bad... but ill pass on coming back
I do like this place, as it is fast, cheap and reliable.
The food here is solid, diverse and fresh. If I knew how to ask for anything weird I'm sure I could get it here, though I don't really crave black bean tripe with jellied veggies... I'm just saying.
Nothing sticks out as truly memorable, yet the pork buns are very tasty and well formed. There are few defaults I expect to be good at a Dim Sum joint, and pork buns are one of them. Happy Chef does the standards well.
Points are lost in a few dishes where flavor and attention to detail takes a back seat to speediness. The plastic table idea is great for service - but really unappealing for eating. If they could at least be stretched tight, as to eliminate the poofiness that would go a long way to keeping them out of my mind.
But I dont go here for the tables, I go for the food. and its good.
Dim Sum:
Love that you order from a list and it's comes when it's ready. Like it but don't love it. Would rather go to Shiu Wah (really really good). But it's better than some places around. Reasonable pricing.
Dinner:
My family always goes here for dinner. It does help that they speak Catonese and can order some really great stuff here. Not a fancy place. Just a place to get some good food. Don't expect awesome service. If you go, you go for the food!!!!
Dim Sum... variety, filling, cheap!
I was just there again recently and our bill was $33 for 4 people and we got 11 dishes. And we were all full by the end! I'd say that's pretty darn good!
The restaurant is cramped and busy - so instead of the traditional carts rolling around and pointing to what you want, they just give you a picture menu and you mark it down like you do at some sushi restaurants. This is nice because it all comes out together and you don't have to flag down any servers.
Some things we ordered that were all good: bbq pork buns (3), steamed shrimp dumplings (4), shrimp dumplings (4) (there's apparently a difference altho' I think they're both steamed!), pork shumai (4), chicken feet (Ewww!!! but apparently some people love it!), beef balls (3 big meatballs!), turnip cake, and 1 beef/1 bbq pork/1 shrimp rice thingie (fun roll??)... :)...and a few more things...
I would go again!
I'm very very picky when it comes to dim sum quality, especially since I have lived in Vancouver, Toronto and Hong Kong. However, I am pleased to say that Happy Chef is pretty darn good.
I went today (New Years Day) and though I booked for 1pm yesterday, I arrived 15 mins early and was seated 15 mins late. But it was very busy so I understand. I wish this restaurant had better standing room. It's always so crowded that I had to continuously move around or duck or dodge the gazillion waiters walking around with hot dishes of yumminess.
Had one of their specials for $4.38 - it was the sliced duck with stick rice noodle - YUMMY. Can recommend their pan fried turnip cakes, spare ribs, har gow (steamed shrimp dumpling), chive and pork pan cakes. The steamed rice roll with dough fritter is normally one of my favorites, but today, it arrived almost cold and the fritter soggy. Other than that, the food is good. Service is pretty good also.
We're big fans of Happy Chef for dim sum, especially because being able to make a reservation significantly shortens the wait on a Sunday afternoon. However, it was only recently that we tried something from the dinner menu, and are happy to report that we agree with Yelpers' recommendations.
If you have two or more people, Happy Chef has a deal where for around $36 you order two entrees from an abbreviated menu and get a lobster or crab free. We had our lobster with ginger and onion sauce, and it was tasty and perfectly cooked. The guy at the next table got the crab, which also looked good. As for our entrees, the bean curd and scallops with black bean sauce was fine, but the shrimp with lobster sauce -- which we picked at random at the last minute -- turned out to be excellent. Even though we finished all the shrimp at dinner, we took the sauce home with the extra rice because it seemed such a shame to waste.
Incidentally, they're open pretty late. We got there around 11pm and had plenty of time for a leisurely meal.
Reliable is an understatement. I walk in, get my table, order the usual (rice roll with shrimp, shimp dumplings, pork dumplings, etc...),do my thang, drop my $10 pp, and walk out HAPPY. Wham bam thank you maam! If i'm really feelin it, i'll get my mango lychee bubble tea, no bubbles please.
repeat this every 2 or 3 weeks and youre good to go!
p.s. - don't be a rookie and go there at 1pm and wait for a table. get there early.
I'm giving this 4 stars only because it's decent in the Chinese food wasteland that is Chicago. I really can't say that it compares to Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York, or Vancouver, but it does the job if you're craving edible dim sum.
Good variety. No dim sum carts so you can't peek at food first, but I prefer ordering from the menu anyway.
The four of us tried lots of items, including but not limited to:
- shrimp dumplings (har gow)
- deep fried dumplings with meat
- fried turnip cake
- glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf
- steamed BBQ pork buns
- chive dumplings
- steamed rice rolls with BBQ pork
- steamed rice rolls with fried dough
- stir fried noodles with chives & soy sauce
Nothing tasted horrible, but nothing was amazing either. Again, the 4 stars comes from apparently being one of the better options for dim sum in Chicago. Wait is quite long - I've heard it's best to come either before 9:30a or after 2:00p if coming on a weekend.
***Note: this is a review of their Dim Sum, not anything else***
A few of my friends had been dying to go for dim sum, so we finally made the trip to Chinatown. I have a couple of friends who I consider to be experts when it comes to asian food (one of them Being Karen T.), and three names kept popping up: The Happy Chef, Shui Wah, and Phoenix. My group decided on Happy Chef, and it was a good choice! In my group of four two of us were first timers, and the other were experienced. But all of us left happy, stuffed, and with money to spare!
So lets get a few things out of the way: (1) this is Chinatown, so don't be surprised if your server doesn't understand English very well, or is not very good at doing their job (2) I went for dim sum on Sunday at noon, and it was very busy, but it was only about a 15-min wait for 4 of us (3) there is a wide range of people there; from Chinese families with screaming babies, to college kids, people dressed in their sunday best, and others who just like making the trip for some good dim sum, and finally (4) it is a CHAOTIC atmosphere. Again, I went on a Sunday, so it was full on hustle-and-bustle.
With that done I can get to the best part: the food! Here's how it works: when you're seated, you are given two menus: one for dim sum, the other for lunch and dinner. The dim sum menu has pictures to go along with every item, so that's helpful. The server leaves you a pencil and a list of the items on the dim sum menu. When you know what you want for dim sum, find the item on the list, and mark the number of orders. There are also the letters "S, M, or L" next to each item, which implies the size of the dish, and the cost. So, every "S" item costs the same, and so forth (I think the S items were $2.25 and the L items $3.50, with the M in between).
My group ordered 11 things in total and we also got a few of the "specials" from the servers who were going table-to-table and offering them to everyone. I will try and list everything that I can remember, with my personal reactions to follow:
-deep fried milk with sugar: this was quite possibly the BEST thing we got! It was a "special", so it wasn't on the menu, and I don't know if they always offer it. At first I thought I wasn't going to like it, but it turned out to be very sweet, and great with the sugar!
-fried taro cake and chive buns: we originally thought these would be two vegetarian dishes, but they both turned out to contain meat. I didn't have any of the taro cake because I was too full, and the chive dumplings were ok.
-sweet rice wrapped in lotus leaf: this was the 2nd best thing I ate there. The dish comes in two leaf-packs and you unwrap them and there's sweet rice with meat in the middle. Again, we thought this was going to be a vegetarian dish, but it wasn't.
-custard egg tart: I didn't have this dish, but the others said it was pretty good!
-mixed vegetables and shrimp wrapped in rice noodle: these are two seperate dishes and both were pretty good! Its a little tough to cut-them in half, and even more difficult to try and eat an entire one in one bite!
-bbq chicken bun: great dish!
-sesame bun with bean paste: this was another one of the "specials" and it was very good.
-custard bun: I didn't have this either, but was told it was good
-shrimp and pork dumplings: the shrimp dumplings were a little disappointing, and I would say it was my least favorite item. And we actually didn't even get to the pork dumplings because we were too stuffed to go on!
I may be leaving out one or two dishes (at most), but that was it. Our total came out to 40 bucks and we left a little over 50 dollas with tip, with each of us paying 12-13 dollars. I would give the service and atmospher two stars, but the food and price are 4, which evens out to 3 stars total. So if you're on a budget, and are feeling advenerous, head over to Chinatown and partake in the joy with the Happy Chef!
The worst Chinese food. Ever. I'd rather eat out of the dumpster, and I should have known with the lack of enthusiasm from the female server who couldn't make even the most decent recommendations. Bland, runny, and the shrimp balls tasted like rubber. The sweet and sour sauce is quite disgusting. How can you mess up on a crab rangoon? Apparently this place does. A chicken dish? Not even chicken - it seems as if it's leftover fried batter that they had it sopping wet with some 'sweet and sour' sauce that wasn't anything sweet nor sour - it was just a thick gummy red sauce that had no flavor - weird chemical concoction. Absolutely putrifying. I'd actually rather eat at Joy Yee's where it's more Americanized and catered to the masses.
Although its a Dim Sum place, I went there for their Lobster. It's the best deal in Chinatown and was very good. It's a bit crowded and can look a bit tacky ( the only reason I am giving it a 3 star). Overall it's a good place if it's a hearty meal you are after.
The Lobster gets a 5 star from me.
We just had dinner at happy Chef over the weekend...after 4pm.
There was absolutely no line which made me happy immediately.
We ordered one of their family style dinners that come complete with soup, dungeness crab, sizzling beef, eggplant and fish, fish with vegetables, and red bean soup for dessert. To die for! Absolutely yummy!
The only warning that I have for those with a weak stomach is to avoid looking at the fish tanks full of fish for consumption. They have some very very scary looking fish in there that I have no idea what they are. I was told that they were rockfish, but in googling them they looked nothing like what I saw in the tank. They looked like crusted lion fish. It gave me new insight into not eating things with a face. Had I looked before dinner, I would not have been able to eat fish that night for fear that it may have been one of those.
Okay, anyone who has experienced eating in Chinatown knows that the restaurants aren't always up to… Read more »
As far as I'm concerned, there is no other place to go for dim sum other than this place. The wait on the weekends can get pretty overwhelming, but I've probably had to wait just as long at Phoenix or any other place. I go here pretty frequently, and my order never changes: pork/shrimp steamed dumplings, shrimp mini rolls, whole shrimp in chili sauce, fried dough, and BBQ pork bun. You usually can't go wrong with this lineup. The place also isn't the cleanest, but hey, its Chinatown.
I've been here for dinner and found it underwhelming. This was probably because I didn't have my parents ordering for me, and I just picked the wrong stuff.
One thing I wish they had was the shrimp balls...something I haven't had in years. Message me if you know where I can find some!
I came here on a weekday morning right before lunch so it was pretty quiet with quick service which is what we were looking for. The dim sum is not too shabby but I liked how you just mark what you want and how much you wanted on the list they give you. It was just the two of us, we ordered a ton and the tab was still CHEAP.
decent dim sum, cheap ass tab.
While Happy Chef wasn't particularly great in any one aspect, it was pretty decent across the board. The butcher paper on the table is a nice reminder that you don't have to worry about making a mess with your soy sauce and chili oil. Every dish was well seasoned, particularly the pork and egg rice porridge, and the peanut dumplings were really nicely prepared.
Don't expect anything that will blow your socks off here, lest you be disappointed. It is, however, a solid alternative if there is a long wait at Shui Wah or other slightly better place.
Good food good service but bit slow.
You will like this place if you know "real" Dim Sum food !
This is only for dim sum now 'cause I don't come past lunch time but this place is just AWESOME!
Located in Chinatown Square almost across from Joy Yee's, this place will always have a line that goes for about 30 minutes unless you want to share a table. I prefer to wait longer 'cause sharing a table makes it confusing when they're delivering your food.
No carts. Everything is on trays and you can pick what you want from their list while people walk around offering their dishes and tempt you with eye fodder.
My staples here are the Rice Noodles Rolls with Shrimp, BBQ Pork Buns, the Pan Fried Chive Cake (2x), and Shrimp with Chives. All that will add up to $11.80-$13.40 for two people which is just insane and unheard of anywhere else. The hot tea flows freely and quickly when you're here and they're good about bringing you extra chili or hoisin if you need it.
This place is kind of ghetto if you want to really get down to it-garbage bag tablecloths, chipped chinaware and handwritten signs all over the place. The hostess doesn't speak English so don't even try to get complicated with her and the servers will speak Chinese to you if you look anything close to Asian.
The food though? The food is what has been bringing me back for the past 5 years. Every time I bring a friend along with me, they're sneaking back without me, the bitches! Next time, I want a friggin' egg custard at least.
Try to take the Red Line down though 'cause parking is next to impossible here. With the renovations in the area, all the available parking has been taken up so haul ass and save some gas too.
I liked that they had pictures on their menu because they weren't pushing the carts around when I came and I would have had no clue what was what by just going off of names. Word to the Wise: Do NOT get the beef balls! You're probably asking yourself right now: With a name like that, who would?? And you're right. But I didn't order them, my boyfriend did. They were mushy balls of meat that didn't taste like beef- it was the weirdest thing I've ever put in my mouth. And that says a lot. Ha just kidding! But really, never again! Other than that, the rest of the dim sum was pretty standard. The sticky rice was better than average and they gave us a large portion.
The interior of the restaurant isn't much. Worse than Three Happiness. White plastic tablecloths and group tables. I hate group seating at restaurants. It was a large table though, so I dealt with it. It was better than the alternative, which was a small table but was practically inside the algae infested lobster tank. Another word to the wise: Don't go to Chinatown if you're big on sanitary dining. Most restaurants here would probably be your worst nightmare.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
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