Happy Garden — Restaurant in Oakland

This place is trash. Came here based on the previous reviews but... It's not fast, it's not cheap, and it isn't any good. For $8 you get just the entree. So I had sesame chicken. It looked like a good portion but it was all small chunks that were so chewy I'm fairly certain it wasn't chicken at all, at least not any I've ever had, (no flavor). The white rice, which you obviously order seperate was cooked perfectly but must have been cheap because it became rock solid after serving it. Got some dumplings, they were fresh but plain and all cooked differently; some crispy some soft. Total I paid $20 for me alone (not including tip), I wouldn't have minded if it wasn't so terrible. If that isn't enough: *The check I was given at the table said one price but at the cash register she added two dollars and couldn't accurately explain why. *When I asked for an itemized receipt she gave me one with just prices. I asked for one that stated what I ordered, so she gave me one in Chinese and said it was all she had. *The wait was nearly 30 minutes and the place was empty but for one gentleman who already had his food. *Rarely saw my waitress, though she was...

Pot Stickers: traditional thick chewy skin, pork potstickers. They were awesome, very flavorful and savory with ginger and scallions resulting in yummy porky goodness.

Chicken chow mein: Bad news first: hella bland, as-is it just had very little flavor. Good news: all the ingredients were cooked perfectly. Chicken was tender and high-quality; noodles weren't too tender/soft which ruins the entire dish for me. Surprisingly, the whole dish was easily saved by dumping an assload of soy sauce in there. After that, it was actually pretty good, I'd actually get it again. But I do wish they'd just up their savory/salty game on this dish directly.

Service was friendly.

I got take-away but I couldn't tell if they are actually seating ppl or it's...

The food is excellent and very fresh. My children love eating there, I have taken my 9, 12 and 14 year old at different times and they all love the steamed oysters with black bean and garlic and ginger i have to get 2 orders of the steamed oysters because they taste amazing and we order the chicken chow mein along with it and it makes a great combination together. The service is excellent they are always so nice and very pleasant. They...