The Chinese restaurant in the California Sierras that looks like a fairground attraction

From the patio, diners can gaze at the jagged crown of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous US at 14,505 feet (4,421 metres). Just down the road are the rounded Alabama Hills, known for their rocks twisted into natural arches. Once a backdrop for countless Westerns, the rugged Eastern Sierra landscape now draws rock climbers and hikers rather than real or silver-screen cowboys.

Whitfield, like many who dine in the 1950s-era joint, looked weary. He had hiked for 3½ hours to Lone Pine Lake with Alex Cardoza, a friend he was dining with.

The food was good, “but also it was nice just chatting to folks”, said Whitfield, a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It’s a good vibe.”

Earlier during the meal, Dan Siegel, one of the restaurant owners, sat with Whitfield and Cardoza, regaling them with some of the establishment’s history. Siegel’s service dog, a chill American Bully named Blue, splayed out next to 37-year-old Cardoza on the red booth’s cushioned bench. Blue is as much of a fixture as the mountains in the distance.