Brr! It’s cold but I feel all warm and fuzzy thanks to Da Maat!

On a local quest for some hot soup during a rainy day, I found myself at Da Maat. Da Maat is a Korean restaurant in the South Bay specializing in tofu and Korean BBQ.

Upon entry, I was instantly pleased with the very neat and cozy little Korean eatery. To the left of the restaurant are picturesque paintings that look like windows and to the right of the restaurant are displays of various different bowls. I could not help but notice a pink bowl with a Hello Kitty like design (hmm wonder why I noticed that one ;). The display of bowls fitted the restaurant well especially since the majority of the menu is dedicated to various Korean soups.

My meal here started with some complimentary tea. I love a good cup of tea during cold days and the warm cup of tea here did not disappoint. The warmth that it instantly brought was just an indication of more heartwarming eats coming our way.

The server served the banchan next. There were seven little Korean side dishes served. There was oi muchim (spicy cucumber), goguma mattang (sweet potato in caramelized sauce), namul broccoli , sukjunamul (mung bean sprouts), Korean coleslaw, yangbaechu moochim (spicy shredded cabbage) and kimchi.

My friend and I both decided to get soups from the soft tofu soup menu section. The soft tofu soup comes with egg that will get cracked and dropped into the soup that is served in a little black pot.

The soft tofu soup also comes with white rice in a dolsot or Korean stone pot

For the soft tofu soup, diners can choose their spice level from white, mild, medium, spicy and extra spicy. There are several types of tofu soup here.

My friend chose to get the seafood soon tofu with a white spice level or basically no spice.

I chose to get the vegetable dumpling soon tofu with a mild spice level.

My Korean vegetarian soup had plenty of plenty of soft tofu and three hearty vegetable dumplings.

The soft tofu soups were served piping hot and were simply so comforting. The slightly spicy broth was very heartwarming and the perfect food for this rainy day. The soup along with the traditional banchan, stone pot rice and the cup of tea brought warmth to me and put a smile on my face.

It’s maybe raining outside but hello kitty foodie is all warm and fuzzy (and all smiles too :).

For more smiles, please read my recent Yelp review on Da Maat.