Taste buds can easily turn into viciously passive-aggressive taste frenemies without proper attention. Keep your tongue from gossiping behind your back with today's Groupon: for $8, you get $16 worth of diverse Asian cuisine at Red Velvet Asian Cafe.

Boasting an eclectic menu, Red Velvet serves flavorful Far East dishes in a casual, inviting atmosphere. Inaugurate an epicurean expedition with Thai-style chicken-satay skewers ($3.95 for two pieces) or jasmine sizzling-rice soup ($6.95). Fork wielders can point prongs toward the Chinese chopped chicken salad ($6.45) or duel with the spears of the asparagus shrimp ($10.95). Complete your taste trek with sweet banana xangos, a caramel-banana cheesecake that impersonates a spring roll, cloaks itself in cinnamon sugar, and stages a rendezvous with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The menu also includes an expansive selection of organic loose-leaf teas imported from China ($2.95 per cup).

Glowing wall sconces and tasteful tea lights illuminate Red Velvet's crimson-colored dining room in the Ortega Village Center. Convicted jaywalkers on the lam can avoid travel temptations by utilizing the eatery’s online ordering and free delivery services.

Reviews

Red Velvet was reviewed by the Orange County Register. One hundred percent of Urbanspooners recommend it, and Yelpers give it a four-star average.

• Familiar friendship elements pervade the diner's atmosphere. Attention to feng shui Chinese cosmology is evident - the art of positioning objects based on the premise that arrangement affects the balance of yin (male) and yang (female) and the flow of qi (energy) within an area, which may have positive or negative effects on health and life. – Robert Manniello, Orange County Register
• Most importantly the food was delicious. Had the black pepper beef with garlic noodles and fried rice. The beef was tender and soooo good. Garlic noodles were good and the fried rice was fried rice. Great beer selection! – Danny V., Yelp