Taste of Beauty is the hidden Orange County Vegan restaurant we’ve desperately needed in our area. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian or have friends and family who are, I’m sure you know how difficult it is to find delicious restaurants that cater to vegans. Trying to find fine-dining vegan cuisine is like looking for a needle in a haystack, or in this case maybe a carrot. Sure there are vegan or vegetarian options on most menus, but there really aren’t many restaurants that solely focus on this type of cuisine.
Located in Fountain Valley, Taste of Beauty focuses only on plant-based fine dining and is exactly the type of restaurant Orange County needs in its culinary lineup. Not only is every dish a work of art, but they are also delicious and thoughtfully inspired by Chinese culture. Each dish tells a story that is as unique as the cuisine.
- Taste of Beauty Vegan & Vegetarian Menus
- A Feast for the Eyes
- Course #1 Vegan
- Course #1 Vegetarian
- Course #2 Vegan & Vegetarian
- Course #3 Vegan
- Course #3 Vegetarian
- Course #4 Vegan & Vegetarian
- Course #5 Vegan
- Course #5 Vegetarian
- Course #6 Vegan
- Course #6 Vegetarian
- Course #7 Vegan
- Course #7 Vegetarian
- Course #8
- Orange County Vegan Restaurant
- Taste of Beauty Location & Reservations
- Discover More Orange County Restaurants
Taste of Beauty Vegan & Vegetarian Menus
- 5-course Vegan or Vegetarian menu $59
- 8-course Vegan or Vegetarian menu $89
- 11-course Vegan or Vegetarian menu $119
A Feast for the Eyes
During our visit, we tried both the Vegan & Vegetarian 8-course menu. Each course is an imaginative feast for the eyes. Here is what you can expect when dining at this fabulous Orange County Vegan restaurant.
Course #1 Vegan
The first Vegan course was a soup titled, Worry Free, created from ingredients designed to strengthen the muscles and bones to forego the worries of today and focus on positivity. This soup features chestnut, Shiitake mushroom, black fungus, carrot, celery, daylily, and oat milk.
Course #1 Vegetarian
Pearl Fresh was the first Vegetarian course and one of my favorites of the entire experience. At first glance, you may think it is a tea. However, when you open the teapot you’ll be surprised with an assortment of mushrooms, bamboo fungus, and a quail egg floating in a flavorful rich broth simmered over low heat for four hours. Serving this amino-rich soup in a teapot celebrates Chinese tea culture, inviting you to savor each sip slowly.
Course #2 Vegan & Vegetarian
The second course was the Merry Medley, drawing inspiration from the holiday wreath. A colorful array of cauliflower, radishes, blueberries, orka, and cherry tomatoes were elegantly laid over a romesco puree of lima beans and collard greens. These powerhouse ingredients were delightfully delicious and a testament to the abundant and diverse flavors gifted by nature.
Course #3 Vegan
The third Vegan course was “Land of Abundance”, another favorite of mine. This dish evokes the image of a graceful boat adrift on tranquil waters, filled with a bountiful harvest of grains and fresh vegetables. It featured a blend of sticky rice, lotus root, Matsutake mushroom, and bamboo wrapped in a crispy tofu skin. It was perfectly paired with a flavorful spicy truffle sauce.
Course #3 Vegetarian
The third vegetarian dish was also absolutely delicious and inspired by dishes such as fried pork chops. It reminded me of a vegetarian chicken fried steak made with steak mushrooms but without the guilt and full of nutrients.
Course #4 Vegan & Vegetarian
Another exquisite dish is the Happy Excursion, an artichoke flower accented with asparagus and sweet peppers with subtle dollops of balsamic glaze. While the dish appears simple, the asparagus tastes as if it was steamed in a flavorful broth. Artichoke is celebrated in both ancient and contemporary medicine for its mood-lifting qualities and this dish definitely accomplished its goal.
Course #5 Vegan
The “Open Valley” highlighted the delicious eggplant which absorbed all the umami-rich Japanese miso flavors and global spices. It was topped with cauliflower, Shitake mushrooms, and a flavorful fried rice adding a crispy contrast in textures.
Course #5 Vegetarian
The Witty & Knowledgable course five, was a delicious and unique dish representing Yin & Yang. It was prepared with Vermicelli, black fungus, soy milk, and egg with a scattering of green peas in a sweet chili sauce.
Course #6 Vegan
The Mountains was course six and showcased one of my all-time favorite ingredients, Morel mushrooms. The flavors in this dish were so unique and the presentation was wonderful. The mountains of Morels were crafted to resemble a Chinese watercolor painting, showcasing the beauty of nature with lush, misty mountains hugged by meandering rivers and delicate boats.
The Morel mushrooms were delicately placed over a unique preparation of mashed potatoes, tofu, and wheat powder with a subtle hint of matcha.
Course #6 Vegetarian
The sixth vegetarian course, Scented Forest, was also a showstopper with bright bold flavors of Oyster mushrooms marinated in a rosemary-infused Shoyu butter. This dish provides a grilling alternative and was inspired by the essence of the forest, proving that nature provides in abundance.
Course #7 Vegan
The Handmade Dumplings served as course seven and were a wonderful marriage of flavors combining tender and hearty dumplings with a vibrant and zesty Tom Yum jus. The dumplings were stuffed with Truffle, Matsutake, Shiitake mushrooms, and Beyond Meat.
Course #7 Vegetarian
The final Vegetarian main course was Love Sick Beauty, designed to combine a balance of ingredients to detoxify and bolster the body’s healing powers while revitalizing the skin and innate beauty. It featured a parmesan crisp over a perfectly poached egg with a cake of potato, red onion, pearled barley, and red bean.
Course #8
For dessert, we indulged in two new vegan creations. The first was a Tea Wagashi which has been a significant part of the Asian tea culture for thousands of years. Each wagashi is a small, edible work of art crafted. This new Wagashi, inspired by Year of the Dragon, featured beans, cranberry, orange peel, and sesame.
The second dessert was a colorful vegan white chocolate mousse made with coconut milk and artfully shaped into the auspicious Chinese character 福, symbolizing luck and happiness.
Orange County Vegan Restaurant
Taste of Beauty Location & Reservations
18420 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Hours: Wednesday – Friday, 5 pm – 9 pm and Saturday & Sunday 12pm – 9pm
For Reservations Call (714) 587-9113 or Visit Open Table
Discover More Orange County Restaurants
Sondra Barker
