Happyhappyjoyjoy

The idea of mixing loads of small bites (or as I like to call them, tiny plates), gets me really excited. Add “Asian” in the mix, and you have my attention. Naturally, Happyhappyjoyjoy was going to be my dinner stop sooner or later.

Happyhappyjoyjoy promises to bring together Vietnamese, Thai, Indian and Chinese streetfood under one roof. They have 3 locations in Amsterdam – I visited their newest one, in De Pijp. The place cheers you up as soon as you walk in. Sure, the interior looks kitsch, but it just works for some places, and this is one of them. It made me feel like I was in the middle of a busy Asian kitchen. The red light takes over the room (tried my best to fix the pictures…) and sets the mood.

Hayden and I sat down quite quick for a busy night – their location in West had a power outage, thus all reservations were redirected to De Pijp. I thought the staff handled that very well, we did not have to wait too long for anything.

The concept is – all meals are starter size, 3-4 needed per person, and share, share, share (ANDRA DOESN’T SHARE FOOD, though). To start with, I had the Shao Mai , steamed dumplings filled with pork, shrimp and mushroom. I thought these were absolutely delicious, and Hayden wished he ordered some too.

He, however, started with some Duck Gyoza, which were not as impressive as my dumplings. Combined well with the sauce, but nothing out of the ordinary. I partly blame him for ordering basics…

We both moved on to soups – I had the Pho Bo (I’m obsessed with it and Ramen lately, so be prepared to read a whole lot about these), Hayden had the Tom Kha Kai, a Thai, creamy soup.

My pho was a significantly larger portion than any other meal I’ve had from their menu. The beef was tender and the broth on point – I would have preferred it slightly saltier and greasier, but that’s just me. It is not spicy, but if you add the sauces that come with the dish, you can get a pretty good Vietnamese experience out of it.

Lastly, we had to try one of their newest additions to the menu: the Baos. I had the Peking Duck, which was good, just a bit too sweet – I guess too much Hoisin sauce for my taste. Enjoyed it nevertheless. Hayden had the Crispy Softshell Crab Bao – he enjoyed the texture (crispiness) of the meat and how the ingredients balanced each other. He was not very sure it was worth the money though.

Happyhappyjoyjoy also serves a good variation of Asian beers, and they make their own, which was my favorite!

I ended up enjoying the Shao Mai and the Pho Bo most, whereas Hayden liked his Tom Kha Kai best. Overall the food is good and the place has its charm. It is not going to be the best meal you have ever had, but it definitely gives you the opportunity to combine many flavors and choices within one meal. A bit overpriced? Perhaps. Are other similar places cheaper around here? No. Are there many places with this concept around here to begin with? Also no. That makes it worth it for me.

Value for money: 7

Food Quality: 8

Location: 9 (Wast: Bilderdijkstraat 158hs West, East: Oostelijke Handelskade 4, South: Ceintuurbaan 256)

Service: 9

Website: https://www.happyhappyjoyjoy.asia/nl

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