Review: At Mahar Moe, dancing to Hong Kong bangers and Malaysian funk

Mild-mannered-looking Tonawanda spot has chef who's a multi-cuisine threat

Hong Kong Typhoon Shelter style shrimp at Mahar Moe Asian Cuisine

Mahar Moe Asian Cuisine blended in with other pan-Asian restaurants that I drove by in the Northtowns, until a reader dimed them out to me.

Remember, folks: here at Four Bites, tipsters get fed. If you put a place on my radar screen, and I decide to eat there, you’re getting an invitation to dinner on me, and a plus-one, meaning you can choose a co-pilot.

So that’s how I ended up at Mahar Moe, a table-service restaurant with a robust takeout business run through its website, maharmoeasiancuisine.com. If you’re sitting down for dinner, lazy susan rotating dish platforms center larger tables, and fried noodles with duck sauce arrive as a greeting.

Tipsters getting fed at Mahar Moe Asian Cuisine

Chef-owner Ping Fa Li, born in Burma, learned restaurant cooking in Thai and Malaysian kitchens. He opened Mahar Moe in Tonawanda a year ago. In Burmese, mahar means grand or significant, while moe literally means rain. Together, the term mahar moe means “raining gold,” he said. It suggests a place where people are cared for like family, showered with abundance in a memorable way.

Mission accomplished, I’d say. When the lazy susan finally came to a complete stop, we weren’t just abundantly fed, but memorably so.