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A happy meal without meat

Mary Furr

Dear Readers:

Happy Veggie will be my last restaurant review for the

Independent. It has been a pleasure writing for the last 13 years

about the many friendly people and restaurants I have covered. I will

be writing reviews in the area closer to my home in Seal Beach. Bon

Appetit!

When you enter the door of Happy Veggie, the strictly vegetarian

restaurant in the Stater Bros. center at Goldenwest Street and Warner

Avenue, leave your carnivorous desires behind -- you’ll never know

the difference as you bite into the flaky veggie rolls appetizer

($4.95). Co-owner Rose Tallman will show you how to prepare them from

a plate of eight crispy rolls (similar to egg rolls) served with a

pile of fluffy romaine and sprigs of mint.

Select a romaine leaf from the plate and wrap it with a sprig of

mint around the fat, crispy vegetable-filled roll. The contrast of

crispness and freshness make this the best roll ever. Served with a

clear, slightly spicy dripping sauce, it is the perfect appetizer to

begin an enticing lunch.

Chef Phoung Tran, Rose’s brother, offers a menu of 1,322

preparations from medium to large soup selections to dinner entrees

and house specialties. It was from the 16 specials (lunch $4.95,

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner $6.95) that I had orange soy “chicken”

-- nuggets of soy soaking in a sweet, tangy sauce dotted with tiny

bits of orange peel. The Chinese have been cultivating soy beans for

thousands of years, which they consider one of the five sacred grains

along with rice, wheat, barley and millet. Adding soy to any dish

increases its nutritive value. Flavors in the orange chicken are pure

and uncomplicated. With it, I had a scoop of dark-grained seasoned

rice.

My friend’s selection was curry masala (lunch $4.95, dinner $6.95)

can be spicy, but you can qualify less if you like. It’s a great

selection of the freshest, most colorful string beans, cabbage,

onion, mushrooms, succulent eggplant and tofu, stir-fried in a curry

sauce. Tofu, also known as soybean curd, is smooth and creamy with a

chameleon-like capability to take on the flavor with which it is

cooked. It is high in protein and cholesterol-free, making the curry

masala a very healthful and filling dish.

Desserts are prepared by Rose and will vary from flan ($1.95) to

key lime pie ($3) to a German chocolate cake ($3) -- two layers of

moist devil’s food with the traditional thick coconut and nut icing.

Happy Veggie is a small storefront with booths -- four on each

side and several tables in the center with fresh carnations on each.

It fills rapidly and service can often be overwhelmed. Rose brings a

pot of tea -- oolong or jasmine -- and greets many customers by name.

It’s that kind of friendly place.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

hbindy@latimes.com

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