* It’s Sunday, and there are so...

* It’s Sunday, and there are so many crepes and omelets from which to choose. Here’s a sampler of Sunday Brunch destinations in Orange County, culled from recent articles. Other reviews can be accessed at https://www.calendarlive.com/go/discover.

Aysia 101: A Cornucopia of Asian Delights

There’s hardly an egg in sight at Aysia 101’s all-you-can-eat brunch and sake (and champagne) buffet. That’s just one clue that this is not your typical all-you-can eat affair. For $24.95, the staggering variety of foods offered and the amount of champagne poured make this Newport Beach feast a bargain.

The setting for Aysia 101, the former John Dominis space on Coast Highway, is a large room with a stunning view of Newport Harbor. Tropical plants and blond furniture provide a soothing, nouveau Polynesian feel to the dining room. Think Don Ho meets Frank Lloyd Wright. Fake boulders and leopard-skin stools add a “Gilligan’s Island” touch, and friendly waiters in Hawaiian shirts look as if they’ve strayed from a luau.

Fare from China, Japan and Southeast Asia--including sushi, salad, soups, cold seafood and desserts--are spread over a half-dozen serving stations decked with orchids and bougainvillea. Many of the selections change, but a core group of noodles, curry, shrimp, crab, dim sum and fresh fish are constants.

On the day we visited, the fresh fish--a moist and delicious salmon--was served in teriyaki sauce. A variety of salads and soups was available, along with hot dishes such as beef curry, basmati lentil rice, Korean ribs, clams and mussels in black-bean sauce, salt-and-pepper shrimp, stir-fried vegetables with chilies and green onions. Most of the sauces are pungent and flavorful. The best is the black-bean sauce. While the curry was tasty, the beef was tough. The fried foods--eggrolls and dumplings--tend to be greasy. The fried calamari, though a bit oily, was of good quality and tasted wonderful.

Dessert tables yield a whole new set of surprises. On the American side, double fudge chocolate cake, pecan bars, lemon squares, chocolate-dipped strawberries and other sweets are too tempting to pass by in favor of the more unusual Asian confections at the next table: Japanese coconut gelatin, nutty tapioca pudding, red bean moon cakes, rice pudding and an assortment of creamy souffle cups topped with carved garnishes and flower petals. Dessert requires at least two trips.

Aysia 101, 2901 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Brunch served Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $21.95. (949) 722-4128. Reservations are recommended.

Moreno’s Mexican Restaurant: Plain and Simple, Good and Cheap

You’re stuck in traffic with a carload of hungry soccer players. And then you see it, an unlikely oasis amid lube joints and mini marts. A family restaurant serving homey Mexican food at astonishingly low prices. That’s how we stumbled onto what has become for us a reliable kitchen away from home.

It’s nothing fancy, mind you. No towering entrees or edible flowers on these plates. Just plain old traditional standards that for decades have attracted crowds to the Spanish colonial charm of Moreno’s Mexican Restaurant in Orange.

There is nothing nouveau about Moreno’s. Sunday brunch is served amid the giant pepper trees on the patio. The menu is the same as it was when the restaurant opened a quarter of a century ago. In fact, many of the cooks are the same, and the recipes have been handed down through generations of the Moreno family, perfected years before they migrated from Guadalajara.

Food snobs beware: You won’t find goat cheese in the chili relleno or arugula in the tacos. The beans are made with lard, the tostadas come with chopped iceberg lettuce and the usual burrito and enchilada combos prevail. But the tortillas come to the table hot and chewy, the guacamole is freshly mashed with cilantro. Even the margaritas are made with fresh strawberries.

Brunch begins with champagne or fruit juice and anything on the daily lunch menu. Carne asada comes with fresh cilantro and onion on soft tortillas, carnitas--deep-fried pork--can be ordered in enchiladas, tacos or tostadas. Chile verde--pork in mild green chili sauce--is tender and tasty, if slightly bland. The egg dishes are Mexican favorites. Huge portions of huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, omelets with chorizo or avocado are all well made.

Soups are popular during colder months. The Morenos make the albondigas from meat ground daily and mixed with egg, fresh vegetables and spices. The rich stock is tangy, and the ration of meatballs to broth is just right. The beef stew is a hearty meal in itself, a spicy mix of short ribs and chunky vegetables.

Moreno’s Mexican Restaurant, 4328 E. Chapman Ave., Orange. (714) 639-2181. Sunday hours: 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mariachis play from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

* A new Sunday Brunch review will run next Sunday in the Orange County Calendar.