Joyful Hainan Chicken & Bento -- Fremont, CA (Chinese cuisine)

This small, family establishment is a fairly newly opened sister restaurant to Joyful Dim Sum, which is just around the corner, in a small strip mall. Located at 43486 Ellsworth Street, this establishment produces delicious Chinese food with a focus on quality of ingredients. All the chicken is free-range, and careful attention is paid to all aspects of each dish. This includes re-heating instructions, if needed, to preserve the texture. This has become another one of my staple restaurants for high-quality food. 



https://joyfulhainanchickenbento.com/


Here some of the things I've enjoyed.




Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. Crisp, crunchy and wonderfully bitter with a sweet finish. This dish requires, perhaps, an acquired taste, but if one enjoys regular broccoli, one will enjoy this super charged broccoli. The toothsome chew of each stalk is my favorite part, which I have enjoyed since childhood. 

Soy Sauce Chicken. Tender, juicy morsels of perfectly seasoned poultry. These include the bone, which I can appreciate, as meat always tastes better when cooked on the bone. The soy marinade is just enough to enhance the flavor of the chicken without the need for anything else. I also appreciated the option to get half a chicken, a whole chicken, or a single serving in a bento box with rice and cucumber. Definitely a winner.

BBQ Pork. Another one of my favorites, the cook time on this pork left enough for some chew, without it completely disintegrating with every bite. The sauce was balanced, with the right amount of sweetness and savoriness to keep the mouth watering. I used my leftovers to make myself a bahn mi sandwich the next day. Delicious.

Cantonese Style Braised Beef Brisket. More tender meat filled this container. This brisket had enough fat and tendon to make this a very enjoyable dish, at least for my palate. The gentle soy sauce-based seasoning was also just right. 

This is definitely not the place for someone who enjoys the high-impact flavors that come with chain restaurants that fuel their food with MSG, sugar and grease. The options for single-serve or family style have also given me the option to stop by to pick up something for dinner, in a pinch. I would highly recommend anyone give this place a try.