How to satisfy...
One Bibimbap craving person who's saving money for Christmas. She comes with a friend...
who's capacity for eating is that of a kid and also craving for Bibimbap.
Both were too lazy to go around the Malate area...
Walking around the mall that has gotten so new as the years kept piling up
But still familiarly known to the two as they have been going there throughout the piling years
They remembered there was MARU...
Expensive, yes it is, the food in Maru
They realized while Scanning the menu
But they still ended up going inside that Korean food stall
You must think poor Money Saver one
But no because they only ordered Bibimbap and nothing else...
I'm stopping with the creativeness (sorry, but yes, I am already creative that way, poor me). Anyway...
So me and my friend ordered our favorite korean dish, Bibimbap, and since I'm a bit broke, and my friend doesn't have a big appetite, we just sticked to ordering that only. Oh yeah, I forgot, we also ordered bottomless Iced Tea. It has to be bottomless due to the fact that most Korean dishes would taste really hot and spicy! We love that, GREAT!
For those who are not familiar with Korean Cuisine. I guess, I'll try to give preview if you'll allow me even if I'm not Korean.
Korean Eating Utensils: Chopsticks and Spoon; Based from my observations, Korean spoons have longer handles, and their chopsticks are usually thinner compared to the wooden chopsticks you get from buying Chinese take-outs and they are stainless.
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| Spoon and Chopsticks |
Before our most awaited bibimbap, the waitress served Banchan. Most korean restaurants will serve free Banchan even if it's not one of the food you ordered. It's typical for a Korean Meal to have Banchan.
Banchan or 반찬 - Side dishes served in small portions
We were given 9 varieties of side dishes:
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| I think this is Kkakdugi but I'm not sure. Kkagduki - Kimchi made with daikon radish |
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| I don't know what this is. But I call it Korean Kwek-Kwek. Kwek-kwek in the Philippines is quail eggs coated with orange batter and deep fried until crispy. The korean kwek kwek is not orange. |
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| Pajeon - Spring Onion Pancake |
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| I have no idea what this is. I'm not even sure if these seashell is called clams. |
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| Namul made with long beans. Namul - steamed, marinated, or stir-fried vegetables usually seasoned with sesame oil, salt, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, dried chili peppers, and soy sauce.(Wikipedia, 2010) |
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| Gaji Namul - Eggplant Namul |
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| Dubu-jorim - Tofu simmered in diluted soy sauce, a little bit of sesame oil, minced garlic, and chopped green onion |
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| Fried Anchovies |
Among the Banchan served in Maru, the only not spicy one is the Korean "kwek-kwek". Their kimchi is fine, tastes like kimchi, sour and spicy, but theirs is not bitter unlike the one in bottled kimchi, which is good for me. I love the Korean Kwek-kwek. The clams were also nice. I love their Namul! There's little sweetness in it and the vegetables are not overcooked. The tofu was alright, not really something to look forward in my opinion. The fried anchovies, I would prefer it if it was sweet.
The Bibimbap!
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| Bibimbap |
Bibimbap - The word literally means "mixed rice." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. (Wikipedia, 2010)
Maru's bibimbap is meatless and served hot. (bibimbap can be served cold)
How to eat bibimbap:
1. Add the chili pepper paste depending to your taste whether you like spicy or not. (The chili paste is usually served separately from the Bibimbap bowl.
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| Chili Pepper Paste |
2. Mix everything thorougly. Until it looks like this:
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| Bibimbap (Mixed Thoroughly) |
Bibimbap = Love. Maru's bibimbap was satisfying. It is usually served with soup. In our case, we were served Miso Soup. I'm not a miso lover so I won't comment on that.
Maru Iced Tea - powdered. I have to mention this because of a terrible experience. When we were through with our glass of iced tea, we asked for a refill. They took our glasses and after a long time, our iced tea was still out of sight. We called the waitress' attention for the matter and suddenly, there were some commotion between the waiters. I heard from one of them "Akala ko sa kanila yun" ("I thought its theirs") pointing to the table in front of us.
The end.
our iced tea experience = DISASTER. :))) hindi sulit BOTTOMLESS.