Ethnic Eats: Under Chandeliers, a Happy Valley of Dim Sum

Elaborate Greek columns and terra cotta soldiers greet you in the lobby. The elaborate chandeliers and flower arrangements makes you think you could be crashing someone’s wedding. But no.  Instead you are in the faux-elaborate dining room of Happy Valley to get some snap-fresh Cantonese food and incredible bites of dim sum.

Many adoring foodies have called Happy Valley dim sum the best in Atlanta. For those who have not partaken in the treats, individual-portions of bite-sized food or dumplings are served in a steamer, often from a rolling cart.

The idea originated in the southern Canton region of China and is popular in Hong Kong as well, often eaten as an elaborate breakfast or lunch.

There are many options on the dim sum menu, and each small, reasonably priced dish costs about $2.50 to $3.50, so feel free to point and choose at random. One staple of a dim sum establishment is its chicken feet. I didn’t try them—won’t—but I recommend anyone with a reasonably amount of derring-do go for it. And please report back.

I did try a rich shrimp shumai dumpling. The thick rice paper skin was think and sticky, with a wonderful texture. The filling was fresh and plump, without too many fussy ingredients to muck them up.

I also recommend the Choa Chou dumpling, which had scallops and shrimp, minced with a wonderfully piquant and generous helping of scallions. They dish benefited from the pickled chili paste plopped on every table, that looked to be homemade. 

The standard Chinese dishes, like Kung Pao and Mongolian Beef, were also presented beautiful and tasted very fresh. Even if the sauces had a bit too much salt, the veggies were cooked until just crisp and crunchy. 

An integral part of a dim sum meal is plenty of hot tea, and Happy Valley serve each table its own pot of nutty, loose leaf tea to go with the meal.