ALL YOU CAN EAT Vegan Chinese Food at Happy Family

I first wrote about Happy Family in Costa Mesa in February, and have visited more than a few times since. It's my local spot for vegan Chinese food whenever I'm in the mood for a good faux meat bonanza. I was having one of those cravings a few weeks ago so I took a solo trip and was delightfully surprised by a new deal that was being offered: ALL YOU CAN EAT for $14 per person.

Typically, the deal only applies to parties of two or more, but since I'm a semi-regular they let me have it by myself. The best part about this deal is that it isn't a buffet, where food often goes stale sitting on hot plates. They bring you course by course until you tell them to stop. It's not their full menu, but there's probably at least 30 dishes on the all you can eat menu. My server told me a group of two guys once tried to handle 22 dishes total, but ended up sacrificing it all by puking in the bathroom before they left. I was not about to repeat that brave attempt.

I started with two entrees: a spicy "fish" dish and crispy mushroom "chicken". I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms so it usually bums me out when Asian joints try to make mock chicken out of mushrooms but this was actually completely amazing and my favorite entree of the night. It was only lightly battered so it came out extra crispy and with just the right amount of spice. The fish dish was good but nothing special.

The meal also comes with complimentary miso soup and choice of white or brown rice. They accidentally brought me white on my first dish but were sure to correct their mistake on my second rice filling.

For my third dish I ordered the fried tofu with "pork", broccoli and mushrooms. It was as tasty as any fried tofu and broccoli dish could be, mixing the saltiness of soy sauce with a touch of sweet and spice. Another wonderful dish. The "pork" pieces were kind of insignificant and didn't really add or take away from the dish.

Lastly, I ordered the Kung Pao chicken, which is made with seitan instead of soy or mushrooms. I don't really agree with nuts in savory dishes for the most part but I've had this one before and they keep the nuts to a minimum. Plus, it's spicy, and I'll eat pretty much anything that's spicy and doesn't contain animals. If you like Kung Pao anything, you'll love this one.

Like I've said before, we have a plethora of vegan Asian spots in OC, and this is neither the best nor the worst. However, this is certainly the best deal. It's pretty common to ring up $14-16 at one of these places with an appetizer and entree so $14 for all you can eat is a steal. I've even heard they have the same deal for only $12 at their LA County locations. While I'll never be trying to eat 22 dishes, I will without a doubt be back to Happy Family to test the capacity of my stomach for only $14.

Click here to visit the Happy Family website.