Joyful Fish 鱼你幸福 — Restaurant in Barcelona

I am of a lover of Chinese cuisine with its many diverse and intense flavors. Joyful Fish is an example of bold flavors done right.

The food is more of a Chongqing/Szechuan style, being well-spiced (not necessarily spicy) and incorporating pickled vegetables and other ingredients to make a flavor bomb. The overwhelming majority of their dishes are wet dishes such as fish stews (exceptional, as their name implies) or meat-based stews, but each has its unique flavor profile which makes for a very exciting dining experience. Often Chinese restaurants tend to meld flavors because they focus heavily on diversity, but Joyful Fish does a masterful job at incetevizing you to try every dish they make.

An added plus is rice is all-you-can-eat. That's right. You do not have to pay 2 euros every time you want a small bowl of rice. Given its cheap cost and general utility when eating wet dishes, this is an incredible plus and a unique option in Barcelona. My only gripe is the rice sometimes can be a touch "al dente". Maybe it needs a touch more water. Regardless, it is still fine and the dishes make it more than fine.

Come if you want a...

I appreciated the convenience of the QR code for ordering, and the complimentary rice was a nice touch. However, I was disappointed, especially given the high rating, as the cuisine felt inauthentic.

I ordered sour fish with pickled mustard greens and Sichuan boiled beef. The beef came with soft tofu, generously portioned, as well as pak choi, bean sprouts, and golden mushrooms. It was unusual to see cucumber included in the Sichuan boiled beef, and the overuse of baking soda made it less enjoyable.

While the fish was not very flavoursome, it was still preferable to the beef. Given the price of nearly €20, I would expect a bit more. Personally, this restaurant won’t be on my list for...

This place is soooo bomb!!! Like better than Monterey Park/SGV bomb. I had #9 for 15 euro, which is more mala or numbing spice style, and it was PACKED with flavor. The dish came with a generous and fresh amount of fish and all kinds of yummy veggies. The broth itself was beautifully golden and "savor every last drop" good. They have a cool ceiling and play Chinese music too.

As a Chinese person, I feel like i could live in Barcelona and survive because of this restaurant alone. The only thing i didn't like was that they slapped .5 euro onto my bill for a takeaway box without asking me in advance. Otherwise, thank you for providing absolutely delicious soups! Perfect on...