sydney johnson

Wdym you can’t rate it a 10? Med // Juicy Special

I walked through the doors of Happy Family Gourmet alone on a whim. Probably one of the best decisions of my life. Be prepared for chaos but know you’re in for a treat. Complimentary tea service—off to a fabulous start. Took my order and before I could take my second sip of tea, my xian cold noodles were placed in front of me. Literally theeee best sauce on a noodle dish I’ve ever had the honor of tasting. In the next 8 mins, I scarfed down half my plate and was so immersed in the flavor experience I nearly forgot about my beef scallion pancake but was quickly reminded as it magically appeared in front of me. Tender & charred thinly-sliced steak wrapped in a hot and crispy fried dough stuffed with super fresh scallions and cilantro greens. It literally doesn’t get better than this. Great price point too.

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Holy flavortown. This place is unassuming from the outside, but the second you step through its doors you’re slapped across the face with a deliciously smokey aroma (that certainly clings to you hours after). The prices are a bit steep but no worse than any ‘New American’ restaurant in LA—and certainly packs a much bigger punch. We ordered the lucenachon tray to share (plenty for 2) which included their famous lucenachon (stuffed pork belly), chami noodles, java garlic rice, & achara (pickled papaya); as well as the sweet pork longanisa—which was to die for. The star of the show was the indulgent lucenachon—crispy on the outside and bursting with rich, fatty, umami flavor on the inside. Their calamansi pie is akin to a key lime pie—quite tart, but overall well-balanced and refreshing after a hearty meal.

My dream is to buy the house across the street from La Costa just to eat brunch here every day for the rest of my life. To start—their conchas are uniquely flavored, sweet, but perfectly balanced and oh so soft. I’ve tried their matcha hot—exquisite; but the real star drink is the horchata latte (iced). The menu is so masterfully crafted it’s hard to pick a favorite. But if I had to get one thing it’d probably be the Tuna Morena Tostada—incredibly fresh buttery fish, sauce salty/tangy/savory/amazing yet light and didn’t overpower the quality and freshness of the ingredients. A close second for me would have to be the Peruvian ceviche.