Yummy eats plus friendly service grant smiles all around

Owner Lisa Lum with Cold Ginger Chicken ($13.95)

Happy Days Chinese Seafood Restaurant owner Lisa Lum sure knows how to put a happy grin on a customer’s face when they walk into her popular eatery on Waialae Avenue. The upbeat environment of dim sum carts rolling from table to table, and the beaming enthusiasm from all of the staff, create a welcoming sight for guests — and the seemingly endless array of mouthwatering Asian entrees don’t hurt, either.

Cold Ginger Chicken

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In addition to its daily dim sum available from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Happy Days offers savory plates that are more than enough to share with the entire table. With the upcoming warm summer days, a good place to start is with Cold Ginger Chicken ($13.95). Lum mentions that this is among the more popular selections, so much so that “one customer came last week and ordered three orders of the ginger chicken,” she says.

Barbecue Char-Siu ($11.95)

Lum also provides a fun fact for those packing a doggy bag or taking the order to go: “We separate the sauce (when packing it up) because if you put the sauce on top of the chicken it will spoil faster,” advises Lum. “So this way, the chicken will last longer and you can still enjoy it later.”

The sauce, by the way, is comprised of ginger and green onion soaking in hot oil that nicely contrasts the cool, tender and tasty chicken.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp ($15.95)

A nice partner to go with the dish is Salt and Pepper Shrimp ($15.95). The sizeable, head-on shrimp are deep fried and mixed with garlic, salt and red chili peppers, and garnished with green onions for a colorful and appealing presentation.

Lum says the shrimp can be chomped right into without peeling the skin, since the head and skin are fried and crispy.

Additionally, there’s no going wrong with some good old Barbecue Char-Siu ($11.95). This dish pleases with its honey-based glaze that is slathered over the ready-to-devour slices of meat.

And, of course, with graduation season coming up, there seems to be a lot of choices to decide from for some hit-the-spot catering. For those looking for that Chinese fix, give Happy Days a try, as it has something for everyone. Call the restaurant to set up your next celebration, whether it be in-house — in one of Happy Days’ banquet rooms — or at your house.