Happy Boy - Fortitude Valley

Iron Fist, being somewhat fond of Asian food has long been telling me to go and eat at Happy Boy. Adding it to my extensive list of places to try but never really making too much of an effort, I didn't think too much of it until Adam decided to take me there to try their new brunch menu. Originally located in Spring Hill, they're now located at Fortitude Valley, along East Street (coincidence? I'm unsure). Being a fusion take on Chinese food, I was curious to see how it would compare to the more traditional styles of Chinese breakfast that you could get at Sunnybank. Arriving at 9.30AM, we were the third table there.

 

The menu consisted of two sides, one for brunch and lunch specials, whilst the other was their main lunch and dinner menu. Interestingly their brunch menu was quite rice heavy and also strongly focused on eggs. Owner Cameron came to introduce us to his favourite dishes and also shared the meal with us. I was very lucky to be able to get his commentary on all the food that we had.

Our drinks came first, and arrived fairly quickly.

He had the long black whilst I had the gunpoweder green tea. The tea was fairly strong with a sharp aftertaste to it. Trying his coffee, it too was strong and smooth (much like him ;)).

Our shared food came before long. For three people, it was an enormous amount of food.

First up was the Char Siu style Chicken and Spring Onion Wok Omelette with a side of Rice. The eggs were fluffy and chicken was tender.

Our second rice dish was the Crispy Wok Fried Eggs on top of Fried Rice. Whilst it appeared as a simple dish on the menu, it was executed wonderfully. The eggs were super crispy without being overly toasted, and still managed to retain some runniness in the yolk. The fried rice erred on the oily side, but the texture of the rice was spot on, as was the combination of toppings to give a wonderfully rounded dish.

On the side, we had two types of roast, being Roast Duck and Crispy Skin Roast Pork. Friends who I hang out with often enough will know that I am addicted to very passionate about Cantonese Roasts (to the extent where a friend's boyfriend had bribed me with roast duck so as to gain my tick of approval). The roast duck in this instance, had a fairly thin skin, a notable lack of fatty deposits underneath the skin which was also unusually crispy. I would say that it tasted a bit more like crispy skin chicken than it did roast duck. The marinate was delicious though, as was the sauce. The roast pork had a wonderfully crispy skin, and like the duck was also surprisingly not too fatty under the skin compared to roast pork I've had at other places. The meat was also well marinated and really enjoyable. I found this to be surprisingly delicious for a breakfast option, but again, I would have this easily for lunch and dinner too.

Our other dish was the Breakfast Burgers, comprising of Fried Chicken, Bacon and Omelette on a Milk Bun. The bun was wonderfully fresh and soft with a mild sweetness to it. The chicken had a crisp coating on it from potato starch, much like Taiwanese fried chicken from hot star with its classical salt and peppery taste. Bacon, as always is a wonderful addition to almost any dish, and the eggs were quite tasty. I found this to be executed well and would definitely prefer the milk bun over bao.

Espresso and Matcha got to enjoy this complimentary meal by freeloading off FoodieAdam's invite. But as always, my opinions are solely my own.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10