Happy Valley

This place still makes me laugh every time I walk in... The decor is so friggin ridiculous for a Chino joint. I have seen the original Clash of the Titans at least 169 times and I don't ever remember Perseus eating dim sum... Let alone fried rice. Whoever did the interior design is a genius. I want him to design my bathroom. I want Zeus and Apollo painted on my walls...Not of the Greek Gods but the two dobermans from Magnum PI. Let's go get our nosh on and get fat and happy like Higgy baby.

The Sampler. Look at all that shit I'm about to inhale. Too bad it wasn't that good. Some items were just plain shitty. The shrimp and beef rice noodle rolls (cheung fun) were either undercooked or way over steamed it just disintegrated. The har gao skin were dried up and stuck to each other, tearing apart every time you try to pick one up, shrimp was like rubber. Shumai were hard, a sign it didn't have enough fat in it nor ground finely and whipped enough to give it that pillowy texture.The daan tart were too crispy on the bottom and the custard separated. Lo bak go were barely heated through and tasteless. Wu gok were flaky but it was a grease pit inside. Sesame balls... Well, you know. Tripe was ok, while it was tender it lacked seasoning.

Beef Tendon. This is a scene straight outta Pulp Fiction... Remember when Vincent opened that briefcase? Nobody knew what was inside until now... It was filled with this. Now, you know what Marcellus Wallace looks like... A big fat bowl of dericious edible gold. These tendons were pretty damn tasty, firm, gelatinous and savory. They got at least one dish right.

Sticky Rice. It's quite a large package... Wish I could be so lucky. Let's see what we get when we unwrapped it. Oooh, it's girthy and plump. I was getting a tad moist... Until, I stuck the spoon in that beast. It was as thick as cement. You couldn't scoop a spoonful without the banana leaves breaking apart. The glutineous rice were undercooked but it was filled with the proper Chinese sausage, salted duck egg and pieces of bone-in thighs. What a shame.

Rice Noodle with Shrimp, fresh from the steamer... Second try. Hong Kong, we have a problem. How does this happen to something that just came out from the kitchen? The noodle totally fell apart when you try to pick it up. Awful, just awful. I am done with this.

I paid the price of admission but I didn't get a happy ending. I got fucked instead... Well, not literally. There used to be more dim sum options in the city, now it is very limited (most have closed shop or changed direction)... Oriental Pearl, while not the best by any means, is still the most consistent in my book.

Happy Valley? Never again.

Fair Rating.

5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093
(678) 218-0888