Travelers to Boston know that a visit without lobster is incomplete. What they may not know, however, is that a Chinese restaurant in the town of Oxford is one of the best places in Massachusetts to enjoy it.

We had the good fortune to learn first hand about Worcester County's best kept secret while we were visiting the Sun-Martin family in Sutton. Ivy Sun and Andrea Martin asked us to join them for dinner at Happy Garden Restaurant, where they recently celebrated their joint birthday with a Chinese feast. "You're going to like this place," they said.

We did like Happy Garden. Ivy did all the ordering, and after a delicious soup course, Wan Sin Cheung brought dish after dish from the extensive menu. Everything was excellent, but the Cantonese-style lobster deserves a medal. To anyone who thinks the only way to eat Maine's finest is with a bib and a pound of butter, we say, "Give Happy Garden a try!" Down east meets far east in this outstanding eatery, and the result will make you want to go back as often as possible.

10/96

Happy Garden Restaurant
211 Main Street (Route 12)
Oxford, MA
(508) 987-0271
Mandarin, Szechuan, Hunan and Cantonese cuisine; lunch specials, low calorie, low sodium selections & great lobster dishes
Exit 4B (Oxford Center) off Interstate 395 south of Worcster, MA