Regardless of your nationality, there’s always something familiar about dining out with friends or family in a Chinese restaurant and you can immediately feel that sense of nostalgia as soon as you step foot inside Happy Chappy in Seminyak, Bali.
You can feel it from the old Shanghai inspired decor with lots of red lanterns and heavy lacquered furniture, all the way to that heavenly smell wafting out from the kitchen. The elegant dining room provides seating for 160 diners, but it is always advised to make reservations ahead through their website.
Despite keeping their menu simple and straightforward, Happy Chappy still manages to include some all time Chinese favorites. Peking duck, kung pao chicken, char siu pork, honey prawns, salt, and pepper squid, you name it they got it. Their state of the art kitchen also churns out dishes fresh from live seafood: barramundi, lobster, mud crab (steamed whole or fried).
Crispy skin roasted pork belly
While their dim sum is served late for dim sum steaming by at 11 am (instead of the usual 8 am breakfast that is customary with most Chinese restaurants), we’re just happy for the time to sleep in and make this a lunch date spot.
Unlike their general menu items, the dim sum variety on offer is not as extensive as what you might find at larger establishments. As with the main course menu, Happy Chappy tends to stick to the foolproof classics: shu mai, har gow, bak pao, pot stickers, and other goodies. If you’re having a difficult time deciding what to order, they offer a choice of fried or steamed dim sum platters for Rp 95,000, which is a great bang for your buck.
Sweet & sour pork
For pre-dinner drinks, the restaurant’s non-smoking bar (probably the only one in Bali *cough cough*) called Dragon’s Den serves a delightful list of beers, wines, and Chinese-accented cocktails named after retro Kung Fu movies. Enjoy its aptly named “Double Happiness Hour” from 6-7 pm everyday for 30 percent off all beverages by the glass.
The bar also features what is self-proclaimed as Bali’s largest live fish tanks. Definitely worth a visit!
FIND IT
Happy Chappy Restaurant & Bar
Jalan Beraban no. 62
Br.Taman, Seminyak
0361 4741959
Open 7 days week 6pm-12 midnight
Dim sum every Saturday & Sunday 11am – 2:30pm
All photos: happychappychinese.com
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