Springfield's best sweet & sour chicken

Happy China

My friend prefaced my visit to Happy China with a warning: "Listen," she cautioned, "it's connected to a gas station on Battlefield, but it is not gas station Chinese food. It's actually really good." So with a wary but enlightened spirit, I headed to Happy China. Indeed, it was connected to the Battlefield Eagle Stop gas station, which led my mind and stomach to churn, thinking about all those late night driving decisions where I settled for bad gas station food. "How long could this hot dog have been turning on these rollers?" I asked myself. "An hour, tops?" Boy, was I wrong. 

Long story short, this food has nothing to do with its petrol neighbor; it's just an unfortunate coincidence that the buildings touch.

Pros: This was the most flavorful and juicy chicken in my quest. Not only was it tender, but it had been seasoned before it was battered and fried so it was good enough to stand alone without the sauce. The meat was a high quality and was flash-fried to order. The crab rangoon was deliciously addicting, with plenty of crab and cream cheese filling. The wonton-to-filling ratio is very important, and Happy China scrimped on neither the crab nor the cream cheese. Another important item to mention was the presence of Chinese and Chinese-American customers. When looking for authentic ethnic food, it's always nice to see people of that ethnicity dining there.

Cons: My cohort suggested the inclusion of the sweet and sour chicken "toppings" of peppers and pineapple. Also, tossing the freshly fried chicken in the wok a few times with the sauce might have been nice.

The Price: $4.97 -- tax included

Overall score: 4.5 out of 5. Happy China made good with this Hungry American. Put your petroleum pump fears aside and head for some blissful munching.