Happy Boy

Happy Boy is a casual Chinese restaurant on East Street in Fortitude Valley, run by brothers Cameron and Jordan Votan, who moved it to its current home in 2017. It describes itself as a Chinese-inspired banqueting and drinking hall, and the cooking draws on regional Chinese traditions, with wok dishes from southern China and Hong Kong and Guangdong-style barbecue. The kitchen uses a wok burner imported from Hong Kong, which is used for the wok dishes that anchor the menu.

The menu is designed for sharing, and the dishes most often mentioned include prawn and pork wontons in chilli broth, mapo tofu with minced pork in a spicy sauce, twice-cooked dry and sticky beef rib, and cha siu-style barbecue chicken with a honey glaze. Sharing a spread of plates around the table is the way the menu is meant to be eaten, and the banqueting-hall format makes it well suited to birthdays and group dinners where everyone wants to try a bit of everything. Asian street-style snacks are also on the menu for grazing with a drink.

Drinks are a strength. Cameron Votan is behind the Spokenwine business, and the wine list leans towards small Australian producers chosen to match the food. Craft beer and Asian lagers are poured on tap, which suits the spicier dishes.

The restaurant is priced in the moderate range and is listed as licensed, with a menu marked out by its regional range rather than a single Chinese style. It suits groups of friends, couples and solo travellers looking for a lively, unfussy dinner. Bookings are taken online, which is worth doing for busy nights, and the venue's opening hours are best checked directly before you go, as they have included lunch and dinner services and, at times, brunch and late-night supper menus.

The menu has also included a brunch service blending modern Australian dishes with Chinese techniques, with dishes such as breakfast baos, wok-fried eggs and a fruit-topped sago pudding, and a late supper menu that included fried rice. Because the services have changed over time, follow the restaurant's Instagram account or check the booking page for what is running during your stay.