60 years! That's a reason to be Happy's

Happy's Chinese Restaurant owner Gavin Chan with his mother Linda Chan, left, and his wife May, and, insets, some photos from earlier years. Pictures by Elesa Kurtz, supplied

There's something eerily familiar about Happy's Chinese Restaurant even if you haven't been there for close to 30 years. You walk down the short flight of stairs off Garema Place, a sharp turn and you're there, at the Great Wall of China, the mural as fresh as the day it was painted.

There's the smell of food wafting from the kitchen, they've been using a lot of the same recipes since day one; tables with lazy Susans; dim lights which look like lanterns; a member of the Chan family to greet you with a smile.