COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE — About a month before it opened, I saw Maru’s almost-done façade from afar. Its chic three-storey architecture (it’s got a roof deck!), snowflake window designs, and colorful signage immediately caught my attention. I remember getting so excited by chancing upon such a nice-looking restaurant. I thought to myself, “It’s so cute. It’s like a Korean restaurant” without having yet seen the small phrase below that reads “Korean Restaurant.” So I took a mental note to check out Maru the moment I miss Seoul.
Last Saturday, I was going through my photos taken in Seoul, and that naturally triggered a craving for Korean food. My mental note popped up and reminded me of this hangout tucked in a less crowded street in Makati Avenue, so off went my boyfriend and I.
At first, we assumed Maru’s menu items were ridiculously expensive, judging from the restaurant’s posh look. But after going through their menu, we were surprised by how fairly affordable their offerings are (plus, we later found out that they don’t charge a service fee).
Upon passing through its big wooden doors, its sophisticated yet relaxed ambiance increased our gastronomic expectations. As in a traditional Korean restaurant, each dining area has a table with a built-in burner and a top-of-the-line exhaust system to keep the smoke from the grill at bay. Although I wanted to indulge in some bibimbap, I wanted to have fun with the grill more.
We ordered Galbisal – thin slices of boneless shortribs (P350), Chadol Bagi – thin slices of fat beef (P350), and Maru Samgyubsal – thinly-sliced pork liempo marinated in sweet and a bit of spicy sauce (P280).
Like how Koreans do it, the banchan (or side dishes) were served first; this includes the ever-present kimchi, tofu, and lettuce wraps, among many other options. After which, the burner was pre-heated and the meats were served shortly.
In authentic Korean restaurants, the waiters/waitresses usually do the grilling for you, but if you want to do it yourself, you just have to say so. In Maru, the well-trained waiters also do the grilling. But I didn’t want to just watch and wait for our food to be cooked; I had to be the one holding the tongs. I believe that’s the highlight of a Korean dining experience. By the end of our meal, we liked how the meal’s pacing, courtesy of the intervals spent on waiting for the grilled meat, left us satisfied yet not bloated.
We enjoyed Maru so much so that we visited it again the following day to celebrate the birthday of my boyfriend’s father. This time, we tried one of the affordable package sets of Maru, which is good for three to four persons. That’s only P1200 for three meat variants and four servings of rice or cold noodles. Looking for a sweet ending to your meal? Maru also sells Korean ice cream.
It’s nice how while waiting for our bill, the manager approached us and asked how we liked our meal. We found out that Maru in Makati Avenue (11 a.m. to 4 a.m.) is actually the third branch; the first one is in Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Pasay, and the second is in Robinsons Place – Manila.
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Coconuts Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Manila. No freebies here.
