Joy Restaurant, Foster City (SF area)

Honu and I organized a chowdown for twelve at the popular Taiwanese eatery Joy Restaurant in Foster City. I've dined at Joy at least six times previously with mixed results, but never in such a large group. Our ordering was aided by other 'hounds and also a careful search of the Chowhound board, along with copious cross-references to Robert Yu's translation of the Joy "secret menu".

Joy's been around for many years and its age is starting to show:



However their Taiwanese / Shanghainese specialties are still mighty tasty!

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Zhong Hua Road Pot Stickers



Zhong Hua Road potstickers are a bit different in that the ends of each dumpling are open. Joy also cooks all six so they're stuck together, but somehow they achieve an extremely crispy crust on one side (one 'hound speculated they used cornstarch). The interior of the potstickers aren't that special, but the crispy skin and wonderful sauce make the dish!

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Gold Thread Roll (Fried)



I forgot to take a photo until only one bite was left, but here it is! Steamed dough was deep-fried for a lovely crispy exterior and a soft, custardy interior. However some 'hounds detected an aftertaste of stinky tofu, leading to speculation that it was fried in the same oil as that pungent dish.

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Tangerine Peel Crispy Freshwater Eel



I thought this was the most unique dish of the evening. Small eels, each about a finger length, were deep fried and covered in a slightly sticky sweet citrus coating. They very much reminded me of Chinese fruit-flavored beef jerky, which I love.

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Salty Sincere Delicacy



This classic Shanghainese soup is called "yan du xian" and is often served around the Chinese Lunar New Year. Some info on this dish:

http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2003/0109/cu18-2.html

While the tofu was elegantly tied and the bamboo and ham pieces well-cut, I felt this was the worst dish of the night since the broth was extremely bland. I had a much better rendition at Classic Shanghai in San Jose, but this one required the addition of vinegar to give it any interest.

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Red-Striped Whole Duck



This was one of the two dishes that required pre-ordering, the other being the steamed pork hock. Most of the bones had been removed from the duck before it was braised, and it was meltingly tender and full of rich flavor. A few slices of bamboo shoot topped the duck, but I'm not sure why it's designated "red striped". Due to the size and robust flavor, it was difficult to eat a lot of the duck and it was the only dish (other than the soup) to have leftovers.

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Clay Pot Lion's Head



This is one of the dishes that Joy is known for, and it's easy to see why: the meatballs were so fluffy and perfectly-cooked, and they covered a small clump of delicious cellophane noodles.

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Nitrate Pork (steamed pork hock)



I was experiencing technical difficulties with my camera and so didn't get a photo until the dish was more than half eaten. The Chinese name for this is "da shao ti".

I order a dish similar to this occasionally at Little Sichuan, and it's one of my favorite dishes there. While this ham was tender and tasty, somehow it didn't stand out against the other wonderful dishes at Joy.

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Chicken With Basil (3-Cup Chicken)



This dish seems to get better every time I order it at Joy. There was quite a bit more basil than I remember from previously, and the sweetness of the chicken complemented its tender delicacy. Highly recommended.

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Wu Xi Spareribs



There was nothing wrong with this dish, but it also didn't stand out against some of the stellar competitors. I don't remember much about the ribs except that they were slightly sweet.

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Green Beans with Minced Meat



This common dish was well-cooked and a good accompaniment to the rest of the meal.

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XO Sauce Hand-Cut Noodle Seafood Chow Mein



Joy is famous for its hand-cut noodles and these chunky ones were nicely chewy and had great flavor.

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Crispy Bean Sea Bass



This dish is one of my favorites at Joy, and apparently it's one of their most popular ones since we saw it brought out to two other tables as well. Two tender steaks of sea bass (I've also had it with just one large fish steak), topped with crispy soy beans and scallions, were brought out on a sizzling platter. A small sterno kept the platter hot and the delectable sauce sizzling -- the sauce was wonderful spooned over rice. A good number of 'hounds said it was their favorite dish of the evening.

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Water Spinach (On Choy) With Garlic



On choy is one of my favorite vegetables, and one I cook all the time at home. However the chef at Joy showed what a skillful hand and a super-hot stove can do, producing a version much better than my home-cooked one. Joy's on choy was laden with minced garlic, always a big plus in my book!

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Shaved Ice with Red Beans, Ai-Yu Jelly, and Grass Jelly



The Joy secret menu has separate versions of shaved ice with red beans, lemon ai-yu jelly, and grass jelly. I had my dad call (since he can speak Chinese and thus did the ordering for me) and ask for the toppings together, but he was informed they usually don't carry ai-yu jelly and grass jelly, and that I should buy some at an Asian store and bring them in. Thus, I made a quick run to Ranch 99 right before our chowdown and bought a can each of the lemon ai-yu jelly and grass jelly.

For a while it seemed like we wouldn't get shaved ice at all since the ice wasn't setting, but after a while the restaurant decided the block was set enough and served us this large bowl. Unfortunately most of the ice melted before it was even spooned into the various bowls, and I wished afterwards that I hadn't brought the canned jellies since the red beans were good but the jellies were just so-so. Even so, it was a sweet (from the condensed milk) and refreshing end to the meal.

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Overall I had a very satisfying experience at Joy. I'd be happy ordering everything again except for the soup, but there are many more items on the secret menu that sound so delicious that I'd want to try them too. If anyone else organizes another chowdown at Joy, please invite me!! :)

Joy Restaurant
1495 Beach Park Blvd
Foster City, CA 94404

Total including tip was $17/person.