Happy Boy Spring Hill

Quality Chinese food with a carefully selected, rotating wine list – this is the gap in the market filled by Happy Boy. It’s a playful take on your traditional Australian Chinese restaurant in a modern setting.

Owner Jordan Votan didn’t set out to change the landscape of modern Chinese dining with this approach, but he’s certainly made the horizon a touch more visible.

One thing is noticeably missing in the refurbished brick building – the kitchen. It’s not until you’re paying the bill that you notice a square-shaped hole cut out of the bricks that lead to the lower level of the building, and the plates of food handed up to the wait staff.

It’s these subtle irregularities that add character and charm to Happy Boy. The venue’s high ceilings are another, amplifying the jovial atmosphere and making banter and laughter easily audible.

The menu is divided into sections: bar snacks, vegetables, seafood, meat and noodles. House favourites such as the fish fragrant eggplant or red braised pork belly can be partnered with one of the restaurant’s ever-changing wines scribbled on the blackboard behind the bar.

Usually, it's three reds and three whites, with occasional, lesser-known varietals such as gewürztraminer and pinot blanc.