When you’re a restaurant reviewer, sometimes it’s really hard to decide what to get for dinner because you’ve already been everywhere.
On the hunt for a restaurant I hadn’t tried before, I turned to Yelp. And I rediscovered a Chinese restaurant I’d completely forgotten about — Happy Garden, just off lower Walton Way.
It’s a bit of a hole in the wall, but it’s gotten great reviews. “Judging based on the two items I’ve gotten so far (and have ordered multiple times in only the past month), this place is toe to toe with some spots I’ve had in Chinatowns of Houston and Atlanta,” says Matthew Z. “It will sound like an exaggeration, but the flavor is authentic, the quantities are great, and the price is fair.”
“I have never before had a restaurant location make me sad the way this one does,” says Jami J. “It’s just too far from my house for me to be able to get takeout. The food is just so good that I’m already making plans in my head for what I want to try next.”
The good news for me is that the restaurant was just a few miles away. We decided on takeout, and the photo of the menu on Yelp didn’t have too many surprises, with all the usuals you’d expect. I liked that they offer a huge variety of wings plus party trays, 34 combination platters, nine lo mein combos, and some fun dishes under Chef’s Specialties, like pad thai, several tofu entrees, even curries.
Yelpers raved about the beef chow fun and the crab rangoon, so that went in our order, along with the yellow curry shrimp, eggrolls, and some shrimp lo mein for our daughter. Half an hour later, my husband was back and we were ready to try a little of everything.
First off, the portions are huge. We had more than enough for a second meal. While our daughter dove into the fat lo mein noodles and flavorful shrimp — she said the dish is as good as that from her favorite Chinese restaurant, New Ming Wah — I took some of the chow fun, the curry and a couple of rangoons.
The beef chow fun is definitely filling — wide, thick and slightly chewy noodles drenched in rich beef gravy with slices of tender beef and bamboo shoots and bean sprouts for some crunch. (Fun fact: “Chow fun” means stir-fried noodles—and “fun” is this specific type of wide noodle.)
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You don’t typically think of curry at Chinese restaurants, although it is often available — and my aunt used to make a terrific yellow curry with potatoes and neckbones, a mashup of Asian and Southern. This curry was also yellow, with a creamy coconut gravy that had a hit of spice at the end. If you want vegetables, this is a great choice because it’s loaded with cabbage, broccoli and snow peas. The shrimp are also generously sized and pop in your mouth when you bite them.
But I have to say my favorite of all was the crab rangoon. I haven’t had it since my days of working at local Chinese restaurants as a teenager. For those who don’t know, crab rangoon is a deep-fried wonton (a Chinese dumpling) filled with a mixture of crab meat (usually imitation) and cream cheese and sometimes a bit of onion and/or Worcestershire sauce. Happy Garden’s version was fantastic. The wonton wrapper was crisp and fried perfectly, with not a bit of grease, and the whipped filling inside was light and creamy. Dipped in some red sweet and sour sauce, they were addictive.
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For other food recommendations, Yelpers suggest the honey chicken and the chicken in garlic sauce. They also add that the interior of the restaurant is pretty basic, so takeout may be how you want to go. For us, it was nice to set out the TV tables, snuggle into our couch with a movie and dine out at home. Because sometimes the best place to go is right where you are.
Make Your Reservation
Happy Garden
1702 Jenkins St.
Find them on Yelp
Entrée cost: Lunch specials are $7.25 to $7.95. Dinners and combos range from $7.75 to $14.95.
