“Let’s go to Moo’s”, I said to my son the other day. He was a bit reluctant, but accepted the offer since the restaurant was rather close to our home, and he doesn’t like long car rides.

Not a stranger to this restaurant at all, I have been going there and getting take-outs for over ten years already. However, I have not been back for quite some time with my son, so he has forgotten what the food was like.

I must admit that the restaurant itself looks a bit run down, and the setting and decor inside leave much to be desired. The owners are Chinese, but had lived in Korea, so the food is Chinese but Korean influenced.

The dish that I have been getting over and over again for so many years is the “Steamed Fish Dumplings”. The lady owner once told me that they would buy the fish fresh and make the dumplings each day. I like the fact that there are twelve dumplings to an order. The fish taste is delicate and fresh, and the texture of the whole dumpling is very soft, smooth and light. With some vinegar and the addition of the kimchee that came with the meal, I can probably finish the entire portion if I had wanted to. I cannot even count how many times I had ordered the dish as takeout when I wanted some comfort food that is not greasy nor oily.

The other favorite here is the Jajangmyeon, a thick handmade noodle smothered with a dark soybean paste, with diced pork and onions. When I tried this noodle for the first time, I had expected a very strong, salty taste because of the very dark color of the sauce. I was surprised to find that the taste was actually relatively mild and not at all overpowering. With the pleasant chewiness of the noodle, the dish is delightful and can be rather addictive.

Chow Ma Mien or Chow Ma Mien with Seafood are large bowls of soup noodle served either with pork, onions and vegetables or with various seafood over the handmade noodles. The heartiness of the pork or seafood mixtures with the hot soup and noodle can be so satisfying and comforting on a cold evening.

As we were leaving the restaurant that day, my son agreed that food was actually “pretty good”.

Moo’s Restaurant: 4817 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503  Phone: 310-542-5270