Date Night at Maru Korean Restaurant

It's good to be back!

It's been a while since DB and I went to any Korean restaurant and so our dinner at Maru felt like an overdue homecoming to our first love. The waiter handed us the menu as soon as we were seated while he went back to the kitchen counter to get a tray of their complimentary Banchan.

Korean Fish Cake

Radish Kimchi

Spicy Eggplant

Fried Tofu

Kimchi

Spicy Dilis

Sweet Banana

Korean Pancake

The complimentary and refillable Banchan happily filled our hungry tummies but it didn't stop us from ordering more Korean treats I sorely missed.

Yukhoi - Php500.00

Yukhoi (or Yukhoe) is cold raw beef with fresh egg yolk on top mixed with sliced pear and ginger. The thought of eating raw beef may initially turn people off (including myself) but trust me, once you get a taste of how special this dish is, you'll crave for it from time to time.

Samgyubsal - Php250.00

The Samgyubsal (Pork Liempo) was too fatty but I like the bit on the tongue on every bite. Another meaty dish we had was the tender and flavorful Galbisal (Boneless Shortribs) that went well with my extra order of rice.

Galbisal - Php350.00

Cravings satisfied. Hope to be back again soon!

~o~o~o~

Maru Korean Restaurant 

HK Sun Plaza, Macapagal Avenue

Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 391-3034

Dinner at Maru

DB:  What do you want to eat?

Me:  I want to go back to Shabu Yaki.

DB:  Are you serious? Its summer and you want hotpot?

Me:  Why not?

DB:  Think of something else.

In short, I didn't win.  Being the DB that he is, he still brought me to a Korean Restaurant but with high ceiling and ample air conditioning in case I still wanted to have hotpot. I did not realize its been a long time since we dined at Maru (read my first post about it here).

We started off with appetizers, though I was quite disappointed they did not have the sweet baby potatoes that I like that night.

Spicy zucchini

Radish

Kimchi

Pork innards

Sweet peanuts

Bean sprouts

Another set of kimchi

Spinach

We ordered the more famous Korean dishes as the main course -- Yukhoe Bibimbap and Bulgogi.

Yukhoe Bibimbap (Hoe is Korean for raw dish)

Served with raw beef, bean sprouts, spinach, gim (Korean style edible seaweed) and other
seasoned vegetables I am not familiar.  The chili pepper paste is served separately
so you can manage how spicy you want your Bibimbap to be.

Bulgogi.  Thinly sliced sirloin marinated in soy sauce, olive oil, garlic,
sesame seeds and a dash of sugar.  So flavorful!

Jal Meogeosseumnida! (English translation: It was a great meal!)

~o~o~o~

Maru Korean Restaurant 

HK Sun Plaza

Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City

Philippines
Tel.: (632) 391-3034

Maru

Friends say I dress like a Korean, I say their clothes are more comfortable and most of the pieces are just what I like, classic with a twist.

So when I went to Maru to have dinner with friends, I look around and saw that I have a couple of clothes that some of the Korean guests wear.  Good thing I was wearing a polo shirt that time, talk about major fashion faux pas!

One thing I love about Korean restaurants is the abundance of side dishes. 

From 8 free side dishes when I first dine here a couple of months ago, they now serve up to 11!  (Forgot to take photos when they first served it because I was too hungry..hehe)

Spicy anchovies

Pork innards

Baby potatoes

Loved these sweet potatoes

Kimchi Cake

Did I mention that they offer free refill?

By the time our main course was ready, I was quite full already.

Plus it was too spicy. See the color of the soup? It's not just for presentation purposes, it's chili!

Overall, I would recommend Maru if you want authentic Korean dishes.  Prices are reasonable, food is good, great ambiance and ample parking space.

But for me, it's just an option whenever my favorite Shabu Yaki is full.

~o~o~o~

Maru Korean Restaurant 

HK Sun Plaza

Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City
Tel.: (632) 391-3034