Girl’s Week in Torrance, CA

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DiscoverTorrance #CollectiveBias 

So excited to share my Torrance trip with you guys today! I had never been to Torrance before so I was excited to research all the good stuff they have, and discover it all over the few days we got to explore. Torrance is a beautiful SoCal city that’s “in but out” of LA, which means it has all the novelties and convenience of LA, but less crowded beaches, better weather, and gooood shopping (!) with a large variety of hotels. It’s just south of LA and only 15 minutes from LAX, which turned out to be quite convenient for us because…well, long story short, my sis and her friend (who she randomly ran into) were stranded at the Long Beach airport when their flights never showed up, and they had to re-book flights out of LAX the next day. So basically it was awesome being so close to both airports as they worked around their predicament. You’re also super close to all the other good stuff in SoCal like StubHub Center and the new NFL stadium in Inglwood.

But let me share with you my #1 favorite thing about Torrance: the weather! Being a NorCal girl, I just always though SoCal was a little too hot for me. And it is. With the exception of Torrance! It’s a coastal city that doesn’t have ten million buildings blocking the breeze, and the temps were perfect. Warm and beautiful during the day, sweater weather at night, just how I like it. That being said, I also thoroughly enjoyed the Asian presence as well. They offered all of the Asian foods I’ve been craving, and also had a big, beautiful Japanese grocery store Mitsuwa Marketplace, as well as multiple Daiso’s! Daiso is a Japanese dollar store that everyone needs to know about. I took my mom there for the first time a few months ago and she was head over heels. Needless to say, we spent a good amount of time in there and left with a quite a lot of goodies. And one last thing before I share about the rest of our trip: the MALL. Torrance has the largest shopping center in all of California, Del Amo Fashion Center, and it was glorious. If you guys don’t follow my Instagram stories you need to: @gina.chong. If you did, you’d know about all this stuff already 😉

Keep scrolling to find out all the cool deets from our Torrance trip! And check out the Discover Torrance website for even more travel resources, including a cool interactive map, oooh.

South Coast Botanic Garden
My mama is a big garden person. Having grown up on a farm in Korea, she has always kept a substantial garden and would choose them over museums any day. This South Coast Botanic Garden was a perfect place to explore while we waited to check in to our hotel. So many cool things to see, and so beautifully photogenic. Also, look at their matching visor-hat hats. Those two crack me up.

King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant
Okay you guys. I was so excited to go here I can’t even. All the Hawaiian food AND baked goods of my dreams! Mama got a red snapper plate, sis got a beautiful plate full of Kalua pork, teriyaki chicken and I think katsu? I got the french toast because there was a cafe in Hawaii that had the most amazing tropical french toast made with sweet bread that I have missed ever since, and you guys, they did an awesome job. They make it with their trademark yummy sweet bread and top it with all this amazing fresh fruit…just like my beloved Hawaiian cafe. Yum. To finish off our meal, we shared a Paradise Cake (guava, passion fruit and lime layers) and Pineapple Tres Leches, both delish. Ugh. Huge recommend for this place. You have to go if you’re in the area!

Redondo Beach & Pier
Look at me taking creeper pictures, hehe. I took a lovely Sunday nap on this beach, and then went back the next day for some sunset photos. Except it was cloudy so there was no sun to be seen, but beautiful nonetheless. My sis who has been to Torrance a handful of times for work couldn’t stop recommending the Korean crab restaurants on the pier. There are more than one! We didn’t have time or stomach space for all the deliciousness in the city, so if you go, tell me how it is.

Okrumong
I couldn’t write about Torrance without mentioning this little gem. It’s a small, unassuming, perfect little Korean shave ice spot right near the King’s Hawaiian restaurant. They have a small menu, mostly focused on the pat (or anko, or azuki beans, or red bean paste, whatever you want to call it), so you know that they are masters of their art. Mama was cold so she got a bowl of hot red bean porridge, sis got a fruity shave ice cup, and I got one of their main menu items: the five grain golden bowl. It’s uber fluffy shaved ice mixed with a sweet five-grain powder and topped with the red bean and mochi. YUM. Just YUM. If you haven’t had Korean shave ice yet, you need to. And this is probably the best place to do it. Also, PS, they even sell these stunning bowls and sets there. Of course they happened to be sold out at the time *sad face* but they were $40/bowl which after perusing Koreatown is actually a decent price for these quality copper bowls. I loved everything about this place.

So there you have it. Just a few of the edible and visual reasons Torrance is the bomb. We had such a blast there and I can’t wait to go back. What are you most excited to do next time you’re in Torrance?? Make sure you check out the Discover Torrance website before you go so you don’t miss a thing!