Happy Together El Monte - Review - Los Angeles - The Infatuation
"Everything at Happy Together, a banquet-style Chinese restaurant in El Monte and the second location of Chino Hills spot, is big: big tables, big groups, big portions, a big menu—you get the point. It’s an easy, delicious walk-in option in the SGV whenever you’re tasked with feeding a bunch of people, and one of the better meals you’ll find inside a hotel event space (heads up: the dining room is in the lobby of a fancier-than-usual Quality Inn). Happy Together’s lunchtime dim sum menu is pretty extensive. It features a mix of the standard offerings like steamed pork buns and shrimp shumai with less typical items like rice noodle wraps stuffed with corn and cheese-filled eggrolls. One thing missing from the lunch menu, however, is Happy Together’s stir-fries, which are the main reason we'd send you here for dinner, specifically the pungently garlicky green beans and roasted pork perfumed with handfuls of chives. There’s bound to be something on this giant menu for everyone, so fingers crossed that your group leaves happy together. Or at least happier than before you fed them. Food Rundown photo credit: Sylvio Martins Cold Dish Cucumber Prepare for full-blown garlic dragon breath. These cucumbers are so cold and crisp you’d think they took an ice plunge before being dressed in salty, punchy dressing. A great refreshing start for what will likely be a hearty meal. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Spicy Pig Ear A perfect pig’s ear salad if you ask us. It hits the mark on crunchy texture and flavor, with a polite touch of tingly mala spice. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Soy Sauce Chicken This is a dish of wonderful contrasts and a great centerpiece to a group dinner here. Every piece of cleaver-chopped bird is cold enough that you get nibbles of salty, jellied fat, but it still tastes incredibly light. There’s also an occasional "buy one half, get the other half free" special, so go nuts. Any leftovers will still be juicy the next day. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Roasted Pork Stir Fry If you don’t like oily stir-fries, skip this. However, if you like tender sliced pork and the smell of chives in your nostrils, you’ll appreciate this hearty dish. It could do with a smidge less oil, though. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Stir-fried String Beans Our server recommended this dish to balance the table out with fresh veggies, but these beans were cooked down to mushy oblivion. However, they do a good job of soaking up the copious amounts of garlic and soy sauce." - Sylvio Martins
