Benji Mo opened Betty’s Noodle House last year. Photo by Chip Scheuer.
Benji Mo moved to Santa Cruz from China 10 years ago. Now a graduate of UC Davis, 25-year-old Mo opened Betty’s Noodle House last year. He operates the restaurant, located at the Metro bus station on Pacific Avenue, with his girlfriend Betty and her mom Lina.
SCW: Why not Benji’s Noodle House?
Benji’s a guy’s name—not very attractive. And also she’s my girlfriend, and I want to marry her.
Did you put the pho in fun?
Yeah, it’s really fun. It’s more like a salad and soup, because you get a side of green sprouts. And we do the soup separately, and we do the noodles separately. And then you also make the noodles separately. It’s a very American way to make noodle soup.
Do you like spicy food?
[Nodding] Mmmh-hmm. And when I eat spicy food, I always drink root beer. It makes the meal more tasty. It makes you feel like you’re flying in the sky.
What’s your favorite vegetable?
Eggplant. It’s really tasty. And Betty’s mom Lina can make a very good eggplant dish. Also it’s really healthy.
What are your favorites dishes?
I like a noodle bowl, a stir fry. I like the ginger noodle bowl or chili tofu appetizer—it’s crispy outside and really soft inside. It gives you a surprise when you bite it. And I’m also a big eggplant fan, so I eat C4, eggplant noodle bowl, a lot.
What’s most popular?
People in this town like ginger a lot. The ginger noodle bowl and ginger noodle soup are really popular.
What’s the hardest to make?
Betty’s noodle Soup, B9. That’s the most difficult because we first stir-fry the onion, the vegetables. We mix the sauce. We put the sauce into the broth. And then at the end you add the egg.
Do you get any ingredients from China?
No, that would be really expensive. Mostly we get them from San Francisco, and sometimes we have to go to San Jose to pick it up ourselves.
What’s your favorite part of this job?
Creating the menu because my major was graphic design. And I always think I should use what I learned from school to put into what I’m doing. I’m really proud of myself. Even though it isn’t very professional or good-looking, I did a good job.
