Food Review

Flavor County
The Wheel Of Life

By Tyler Moore

I like Thai food. I like the texture, I like the flavor and I definitely like the spices. But most of all I like the meal preparation. But what happens if you take away a seemingly essential ingredient? What happens if you strip the food of meat and animal products? Thai food without fish sauce? Absurd? Well, not at Wheel of Life.

Run by a master fourth-generation Vegan cook named Victor, the Wheel of Life is definitely one of the few holdouts for those of the vegetarian/vegan/hungry persuasion. (I suppose if you are hungry there are a couple other places you could go, but hear me out on this one.) I’ve had the pleasure of bumping into Victor quite a few times and every time he’s greeted me with a firm handshake and a call to action for “vegan power.” I’m not exactly sure what this “vegan power” entails, though. Last time I was there, a friend of mine explained to Victor that he had a Vegan girlfriend and after they broke up, he went on a steak eating spree to spite her. Victor calmly explained that one day my friend would realize the benefits of living a lifestyle free of animal products and see the error of his ways. Victor then went on to describe to us, in very hazy detail, a story of how he defended himself against four goons in an alley somewhere while he was studying to get his doctorate at USC. I think. Like I said, the story was really hazy.

Appetizers are kind of hazy, too. So far, I’ve had both the Thai Spring Rolls and the Wheel Fresh Spring Rolls. The peanut sauce really brings out the flavor of the Wheel Fresh Spring Rolls. The vegemeat contained within came across as a very airy mix between raw mushroom and chicken. It tastes much better than it sounds. In the entrée arena, I’ve always been a big fan of Prik King, and Wheel of Life’s meatless version definitely does not disappoint. I found the fake beef to be a bit on the salty side, and as expected the texture is just a bit off, but the flavor is definitely there. I prefer the less vegemeat-intensive dishes such as Pad-See-You, the Sautéed Dry String Bean, or any of the fried rice dishes. The flat noodles also benefit from light pan frying which instills an almost BBQ like flavor. My biggest disappointment so far has been the Pad Thai, which I feel suffers the most from the lack of fish sauce. I normally expect an outburst of flavor from Pad Thai, regardless of the presence of eggs or meat. Feel free to try any of the cheesecake-like desert substitutes, too. I’ve heard that they actually beat out the real thing, but have not tried it myself due to an aversion to anything with “cheese” in the title.

Head over to Wheel of Life on any weekend night and expect to find your typical hipster/art café crowd: emaciated and pale. But I think that we (hipsters and myself) could agree that upon leaving Wheel of Life, you’ll be full enough to not have to eat anything, with or without legs, for quite some time.

14370 Culver Dr., Suite G. Irvine, CA
www.wheelofliferestaurant.com