Press & Media

More meaty than meets the eye
at One World Vegetarian
by Martín González

I am not a vegetarian, but I do not object to vegetarian dishes by any means. What I do object to is vegetable-based pseudo-meat that is supposed to resemble chicken, beef and even bacon. I have no problem eating vegetables, I just don't want them ground into burger patties.
With this caveat in mind, I tell you that One World Vegetarian Restaurant in West Covina on South Glendora Avenue, tucked behind the Edwards movie theaters, serves the best vegetable-based meat I have ever tasted. I wish someone had brought me an order of its Teriyaki Beef without telling me it was not real meat to see if I could taste the difference.
Knowing it was a vegetarian product, I was still impressed not only by the flavor but the texture as well. Gone was the mealy aftertastev and the stringy, rubbery texture that is a dead giveaway for pseudo-meat.
Served on skewers with white or brown rice and steamed vegetables, the teriyaki "beef" made me a veggie meat believer. The meat worked even better as a stuffing for the restaurant's Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls, served with a delicious peanut-based sauce. Also good were the fried egg rolls stuffed with ground "pork" that had an alarmingly meaty flavor
Although a majority of the menu consists of Asian-influenced dishes, One World also has vegetarian buritos and, believe it or not, a vegetarian Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, which although not superb, tasted better than some of the philly cheese steak sandwiches I have tried, and they used real beef.

Delicious Veggie Dishes
Persuade Reluctant Diners
by Leeann Lucero

One World is a vegetarian Cornucopia of beneficial bliss. Not being a particularly big fan of vegetarian cuisine I reluctantly tried it out.
On the way to the restaurant my friend and I were tempted several times to forget the whole thing, and stop at the various pizza shops and Mexican restaurants along the way. But like troopers we pushed on. The outcome was complete Delight!
If I did not like vegetarian food before, (and I most certainly did not) One World has successfully converted me. Of course all the food is entirely vegetarian and prepared with out any meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. But one thing that is unique about One World is that the food is cooked in filtered water. So diners at One World will not only find a pleasure for their palate but will also be receiving the cleanest and healthiest food their money can buy.
Speaking of finances, One World is very affordable for the Citrus College student and any other economically minded individual. When the price range varies from $1.25 up to only $7.50 a person can easily dine here using the spare change lying on the floor of their cars. And like mentioned before, if not for the health rewards, and affordability, than one should absolutely go in for the sheer scrumptiousness of the food. I recommend one start the meal off with an appetizer; go with the Spinach Quesadilla, the Crispy Wontons, or my personal favorite, and a must try, the Golden Crispy Rolls. Be sure that you wrap the rolls up together with the salad and mint leaves presented to you, it greatly enhances the flavor.
There are beautiful fresh salads, and plenty of and mouthwatering soups prepared daily from which to choose. Order the Wonton soup or the Pho, which is also available as a Vegan item. When it comes down to choosing and entrée I can say, with a certain level of assurance that it would be impossible to make a bad choice. However I particularly love the spicy Indian curry tofu, the stir-fried green beans, and the sautéed veggie beef and vegetables.
If you pop in for a quick lunch, there is a garden of veggie burgers and sandwiches available. All good but my pick would be the Veggie House Burger, served with a side salad. Even the beverages at One World have something distinctive to offer. There are Non-Alcoholic wines, spritzers and ciders, available at the adorable little tiki style bar. Also, hot and cold coffee and hot tea, 100% fresh juices, and the most outstanding frozen drinks, get the Mango Tango Smoothie with tapioca, you won't be sorry.
Top off your meal with a big slab of Ice Cream Mudd Pie. Don't worry, after eating so well, your body can afford it. And this year vegetarians have another option aside from cooking themselves Tofurkey's. One World will be having Thanksgiving specials from Nov. 19-28. Sample slices of veggie Turkey will be available beginning Nov. 12 Pre-orders for whole Turkeys must be placed by Nov. 20.

Bacon for Buddha
at One World Vegetarian
One World Cuisine can help cure a craving
beef with tempting tofu and faux fowl.
by Evan George

Nestled snugly in one of the less remarkable strip malls of West Covina lies this Mecca of fake meat and Asian health-food fusion, a tiny 12-table oasis among suburban girth and football field-sized storefronts. The cozy room is covered almost entirely in bamboo décor. Framed glamour shots and painting of historical vegetarian figures smile back at you from above the front door. Kim Basinger poses next to a bust of Plato. In this respect, One World Cuisine restaurant flirts perhaps too closely with the cliché of New Age aesthetics. The Enya hits oozing from the hidden stereo system will put the yoga crowd right at home, while the rest of us cringe until the food arrives.
But when it does, all is forgiven. The bubbly server took us on a tour of the menu, suggesting the best trademark dishes, even offering historical and culinary background to the Vietnamese-leaning vibe of many of the offerings. Her recommendations were right on.
First on the table was an order of fried wontons filled with "ham" and dipped in a sweet chili glaze. The crispy golden-skinned wontons were complemented perfectly with bites of a cold rice-vermicelli roll, filled with "beef" and cilantro, served with a standard peanut sauce. Appetizers like these are at most Thai or Vietnamese restaurants, but for vegetarians, having the traditional pork and beef tastes is closer to the real experience than omitting the offending ingredients.
It is worth noting that nearly every dish on the menu at One World makes use of relatively healthy, soy and vegetable-protein-based meat imitators. While widely available at grocery stores nowadays, few commercial kitchens use these products, let alone revolve their menu around them. This sets One World apart. And while most of the menu items are vegan or can be made vegan, some dishes do contain dairy, and peanuts (for those allergy-stricken unfortunates) are also prevalent.
Two sizes of salads are available, with options including a chef's salad, an Aulacese salad (shredded cabbage, veggie chicken and fresh mint in a Aulacese vinaigrette), and their version of a "taco" salad, the Fiesta, with corn chips, rice, veggie ground meat, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.
Next came a steaming bowl of Chinese hot and sour soup, wonderfully thick, rich and sweet with the essence of long-simmered stock made from scratch on the premises. The crispness of various sprouts and thin bamboo shoots gave the gooey broth a sensational crunch.
Finally, the real arsenal was unleashed. The garlic sautéed veggie beef balls, easily the most excellent entrée (there are a dozen available), came to the table overflowing off a bed of ripe tomatoes and lettuce leaves. The "quail" stay atop a spicy, pickled cucumber salad, was right behind. Both dishes' success lay in the faux meat's texture and the ability to absorb the accompanying tastes. The beef balls, though, not like any particular carnivore dish, displayed the rare ability to mimic what vegetarians might recall fondly of meat — its relationship to garlic sauces. However, the teriyaki beef fell flat due to stringiness, and the sweet and sour chicken revealed itself as the same meat as the chicken nuggets. "Burgers," one of the veggie staples often enjoyed by non-vegetarians, are available in several forms, One World's home made burger is created from spinach, garbanzo and kidney beans.
Or if you desire "Pho" rather than "faux", the full-meal Vietnamese noodle-based soup served with of fresh mint and bean sprouts, should satisfy. Pho choices include royal veggie beef noodle soup, golden noodle soup, or the golden noodle soup with wontons.
As the dishes were cleared and the fake meat began to settle — rather heavily in the vegetarian gullet — a Philly Cheese Steak was brought out, smothered in grilled mushrooms and pseudo-provolone cheese, atop a crispy hoagie roll. On an empty stomach, the sandwich would have hit the spot. At the end of the meal, the beef-impersonating monster reminded this vegetarian of the teaching of the equally minded Buddha: moderation!
The clerk of the liquor store next door put it this way: "I like that food, it's good, but you know, they gotta put tofu in every thing? How 'bout just some nice vegetables!?" This is perfectly understandable coming from a woman who orders from One World on a regular basis. No one wants processed tofu burgers every day. For most vegetarians or light carnivores, a cheese steak is not an everyday urge, but a once-in-a-while pleasure and an oasis of great imitation cuisine is a diamond in the rough.
The New Age nuance of the décor is more unfortunate. Granted, the strip mall, extra large value meal-culture that pervades places like West Covina is hideous, but piping in whale noises and orchestral meditation music is perhaps going too far in the other direction. Not all diners are vegetarians, and not even all vegetarians want to practice their conscious-breathing exercises while they eat fake bacon.
That said, there's no doubt that the restaurant's food will win over skeptics. One World Vegetarian Cuisine should become a travel tradition for any beef-craving animal lovers on trip east. Indulge and enjoy, but meatless meat overdose is real. And if you prefer your own soundtrack while you dine on a veggie burger, make your meal a "to go," and munch meatlessly in the car on the way back to Los Angeles.

Text taken from
"Dining in Paradise Reviews"
by Vegetarians in Paradise

R: Like welcoming a new baby into the family, we always look forward to bringing a new vegetarian restaurant into our veg community. And while our vegetarian eateries are all quite special to us, some are exceptional.
Z: We recently broke bread at One World Vegetarian Cuisine, a new dining delight. Opening its doors in July of this year, this restaurant is already gathering an enthusiastic clientele.
R: And for good reason! The food is outstanding and attractively presented, the service is friendly and attentive, and the ambience is delightful. The moment we were seated, Crystal, our caring server, brought us a tiny dish of dry roasted peanuts to nibble while we perused the extensive menu.
Z: With her helpful suggestions we selected Sautéed Garlic and Veggie Beef Balls, Grilled Veggie Beef Teriyaki, and Stuffed Tomatoes. We were given a choice of white or brown rice. And, of course, we opted for the brown. Then, instead of one of the tempting appetizers, we chose two soups, the Aulacese Sweet and Sour and the Spinach Tofu.
R: Though Vietnamese dishes are dominant, the flavor of an eclectic Asia is prevalent in the menu items that also include some Indian, Italian, Mexican, and American influences. One World also provides tasteful décor where the warmth of bamboo wraps the lower half of the walls and completely covers the pitched ceiling.
Z: And that's not all! Bamboo screens separate the tables along the walls, while a bamboo roof hangs over the bamboo covered service desk, all resulting in an environment that oozes comfort and warmth.
R: First to arrive was the Aulacese Sweet and Sour Soup with its tasty tamarind- flavored broth that was heaping with bean sprouts, pineapple chunks, cubes of tofu and tomato slices. Elephant ears, an Asian vegetable we had never met before, were also included along with cilantro and green onions. Curious about the word Aulacese, we learned it's the old way of referring to Vietnam or Vietnamese.
Z: The Spinach and Tofu Soup was a simpler combination of fresh spinach, chunks of tofu, cilantro, mushrooms, and onions in a light, yet flavorful broth quite different from our other soup.
R: Our entrées arrived individually, giving us the opportunity to appreciate the presentations and savor the outstanding flavors. The well-marinated Grilled Veggie Beef Teriyaki skewers lay on a large lettuce leaf that lined the entire plate. Nestling up to the skewers were perfectly steamed broccoli florets and baby carrots, while the generous mound of brown rice was topped with chopped toasted peanuts. Garnishes were many: half slices of tomatoes, angle sliced cucumbers, julienne red bell peppers, and a light sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds over all.
Z: The Stuffed Tomatoes were the most unique dish we had ever ordered in an Asian restaurant. The oval platter held 4 half-tomatoes filled with a well-seasoned combination of tofu, veggie meat, onions, and mushrooms that were topped with an exquisitely flavored fresh tomato sauce that also pooled at the base of the tomatoes. This truly outstanding creation was accompanied by a side dish of brown rice topped with toasted peanuts.
R: Another of One World's exceptional dishes is the Sautéed Garlic Veggie Beef Balls, on a lettuce lined platter topped with little finger-nail size tidbits of veggie beef sautéed in an aromatic, lightly sweetened garlic sauce splashed with a touch of soy sauce and sesame oil. Surrounding the tasty tidbits were sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, julienne-cut red bell pepper, and slices of purple onion. A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds added the finishing touch. This dish also included a side of peanut-topped brown rice and a little bowl of delicately flavored sweet and sour dipping sauce for the beef balls.
Z: All three of our entrées were truly awesome and demonstrated the chef's creativity and his desire to present signature dishes diners were not likely to find in other restaurants. Many caring touches made this an outstanding dining experience. The background music was very diverse and pleasantly soft. A fresh rose in full bloom adorned every table along with a tea candle resting in a bamboo holder. Framed photos of famous vegetarians hung above the large front window. A small replica of the smiling Buddha graced the service desk along with a vase of purple orchids.
R: We thought our meal was over and were surprised when Crystal returned to our table with fresh oranges cut into wedges. When she brought the check, we noticed she had tucked a take-home menu inside the check folder. The final gesture was the tiny bowl that held two cello-wrapped red and white-striped mint candies that Crystal presented after processing our credit card.
Z: The menu offers much diversity at very reasonable prices. For lighter fare, there are creative salads like the Aulacese Salad, the Four Seasons Salad, or the Fiesta Salad. The variety of sandwiches and veggie burgers could even appeal to non-vegetarians as well. Diners desiring traditional Vietnamese cuisine could select Pho, the full-meal noodle-based soup served with a side dish of fresh mint and bean sprouts. Pho choices include Royal Veggie Beef Noodle Soup, Golden Noodle Soup, or the Golden Noodle Soup with Wontons.
R: The menu proudly states that all soups are prepared from scratch with the natural flavors and sweetness of fresh vegetables, and foods are cooked with filtered water. Even people with food allergies will receive TLC. While most of the menu items are vegan or can be made vegan, there are some dishes that contain dairy.
Z: We welcome One World Vegetarian Cuisine into the vegetarian family and wish them success, long life, and many happy customers. May they live to a ripe old age.
One World Vegetarian Cuisine
178 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91790
Phone: 626-917-2727
Hours: Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Inexpensive
Web site: http://www.oneworldveggie.com
Reviewed November 2004