East Broadway Bakery Breaking News! Sun Light Bakery is now Happy Star!

[AubWah]

Everybody knows this is where you go south of Canal for steamed rice noodle rolls. I stopped in today for my usual ($1.50) and I saw the new business cards. So I asked the girls working, which name do you like better Sun Light or Happy Star? Happy Star was their resounding response. Same owner, they stressed. Same quality HK style breakfast snack. Then I navigated the dangerous East Broadway streets back towards the sanctuary of the Grand Street subway station.

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Happy Star Bakery
160-162 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

[foodwhisperer]

I had some steamed rice noodle rolls at Happy Star today. The rolls were excellent. They make the rice noodles right in front of you .Spreading the rice liquid then steaming and cutting it. I was fascinated. Talk about fresh noodles, this is as fresh as you get. I also had a fish ball skewer and a Lo May Gai. All was good. I love this place. I then went 2 doors down to what used to be Golden Carriage ( no name now) for a Char siu bao, they are good there. Anyway, Happy Star makes me Happy.

[Lau]

yah they just changed the name,its basically all the same, here's my review from a long time ago
http://www.lauhound.com/2010/10/sun-l...

[foodwhisperer]

I love watching them make the rice noodles at Happy Star. I had the beef noodles there the other day . Really good. Then I discovered, diagonally across the street, on the corner of Rutgers and E. Broadway, is an old lady with a cart. She makes a different style of rice noodle. I think it is the same method of making the noodle, but i think she rolls about 4 of them together , so you get the impression of a really thick noodle.. I had mine with fish balls, it was $1.75 and was excellent.

[Lau]

that lady is good

[Chandavkl]

Thanks for the update. Since it changed from Sun Shine to Sun Light a couple of years ago, that's three names in three years!

[foodwhisperer]

I don't remember seeing a new sign. I did not see a Happy Star sign last I was there ( which was last week). Maybe I just didnt notice.The place on the corner, that was Golden Carriage, i think now has no name. But is part of Sun Light . The Baked Bao is good at the corner store. They will run to Sun Light or Happy Star for food if you ask.

[AgentUmami]

Agreed on the astoundingly cheap and delicious HK snack, but East Broadway dangerous? You're more likely to suffer a knockoff Gucci related trampling from the tourists clogging Canal Street.

[small h]

I finally had reason to be on this block (the post office is open on Saturday), so I grabbed a rice noodle with shrimp. I didn't realize this would be my beloved rice roll, all hacked up - that was a nice surprise. Thanks for putting this place on my radar. I liked it a lot, even though I had to eat standing up and got hit with the door a couple of times.

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Happy Star Bakery
160-162 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

[AubWah]

Glad you enjoyed it. Only recently did they put those seats in so you can sit in there and eat. Anyone who tries the $1.75 sticky rice with the kitchen sink WILL NOT be dissapointed

[small h]

Do you know how late they're open? Can't find their hours online, and a phone call didn't go well.

[Lau]

here's my post on them:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/740902
http://www.lauhound.com/2010/10/sun-l...

[small h]

Thanks, I've read those. And I've been to Happy Star in the afternoon. Just wondering how late they stay open, as I wanted to go there around 6pm tonight. I don't see that info in your posts. Am I looking right past it?

[AubWah]

I doubt they would be open at that time

[small h]

As I feared. Thanks for your help.

[Lau]

they close reasonably early i dont think they will be open at 6

however if you want good cheung fan later, i'd stop by XO kitchen, i think their cheung fan is pretty decent

also across from hong kong supermarket on hester and elizabeth, the street stall maybe still open and they have pretty decent cheung fan too which is more similar to how happy star's is (although not quite as good since its not freshly made), tell them you want all the sauces

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XO Kitchen
148 Hester St, New York, NY 10013

[small h]

Many thanks. XO sounds like an excellent choice.

[Lau]

oh when you go get the "japanese style dumplings" as well they are excellent, i also like the baked pork chop rice

[small h]

We liked XO a lot! Had the rice roll with sliced fish and cilantro (soft and bland in a pleasant way), salt-baked head-on shrimp (good rendition, although I think Amazing 66 does a slightly better job with this dish, if memory serves), steamed bean curd skin roll with vegetables (could've used a little more crunch in the bamboo shoots, but very nice nonetheless).

I don't eat meat, or I'd have taken your advice about the pork chop. But there's a staggering number of options - we were given three different menus, and then there's all that other stuff on the fliers on the wall. I could eat there 20 times and never have the same thing twice.

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XO Kitchen
148 Hester St, New York, NY 10013

[Lau]

yah i like XO, its a hong kong style diner type food. its the type of food young people eat in hong kong. its got too big of a menu, but the dishes that are good there are pretty tasty. ive been meaning to write a post on it soon

get their zha liang next time, it says like crueller wrapped in rice wrap or something like that. its a you tiao (fried cruller) wrapped in cheung fan topped with light soy sauce

their congee is pretty decent too

oh one more dish, get their zha man tou, it will say like fried or steamed buns, get the fried ones and then you dip them in condensed milk...delicious dessert

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XO Kitchen
148 Hester St, New York, NY 10013

[penthouse pup]

"Everybody knows"--really? Some people I think would appreciate an address or an approximation--I know I would. Thanks in advance.

[AubWah]

right next to the F train East Broadway...160 East Broadway. If they have the sticky rice with sausage, chicken, mushroom, etc. get it.. its so good I feel like I am ROBBING THEM by only paying $1.75 for it

[penthouse pup]

Thanks! Sounds excellent.