Eat Joy Food - Review - Rowland Heights - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Eat Joy Food’s menu is longer than some instruction manuals, so we often rely on pictures and a “yeah, that looks really great” approach. Thankfully, that strategy has never failed us at this Rowland Heights Taiwanese spot. Dishes vary from light and fresh to pungent and saucy, and your nose is the first to tell the difference. With one full spin of the lazy susan, you’ll get wafts of blistered basil from juicy three-cup chicken and copious amounts of garlic in the dragon whisker salad. Order the fried stinky tofu, and you’ll definitely smell it before it hits the table. As quiet and zen as Eat Joy Food’s dining room can be, the immense variety of Taiwanese dishes has the same effect on us as a blow-out sale at The Container Store. The options feel endless, and everything catches your eye, so fill one of its large round tables with friends to sample as much as possible. Food Rundown Dragon Whiskers Salad ‘Dragon whiskers’ is a much cooler name for chayote shoots and also a hint at what your breath will smell like after finishing this dish (it’s loaded with enough garlic to give it a bite). Use this cold, refreshing salad as a delicious way to put greens on the table. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Fried Stinky Tofu Whether you love it or hate it, you’ll definitely smell it coming your way. This fermented tofu dish has a pungent, cheese-like flavor that can be too intense for some. We’re fans—just eat with the accompanying pickled cabbage and garlic-chili sauce to balance some of the funk. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Three-Cup Chicken This classic stir-fry has all of the best textures poultry can offer. The chopped nuggets of chicken are juicy in the middle, crispy at the edges, and loaded with cartilage-y bits that squeak between your teeth. The fragrant sauce tastes as incredible as it smells, rich with garlic, shaoxing wine, and blistered basil. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Steamed Black Cod If we’re with more than two people, ordering this shiny whole steamed fish is non-negotiable. The sweet, buttery meat collapses off the bone once your spoon makes contact and the toppings—scallions, raw chiles, and pickled cordia seeds that burst like sour berries—deliver a punch of flavor. photo credit: Sylvio Martins" - Sylvio Martins