MARU Korean BBQ Buffet

This was my favourite Korean bbq place. At the end of last year in 2021, it used to cost $19.9+ for weekday lunch & it was so affordable & the food was great as well!

Over time, the price increase to $22.9+ in around early 2022. That was still alright and I continued visiting regularly. However, today (Sep 2022), when I visited, still a weekday lunch (fri), I was shocked to see that the price increased to $28.9+! inflation is urgh

Honestly it’s such a pity, at this price point, they are competing with so many other chains and I can’t brand them as affordable anymore… I’m not sure if maybe Mon-Thurs lunch is still $22.9 and they changed Friday to not be counted as a weekday anymore but I’m just disapointed haiz :(

The food is still great, would recommend, but personally will not visit & would rather now go try other places at this price point…

03iune 2022
Had a personal very bad experience with this
restaurant. Having made a reservation a day prior
and went down early 10mins to the restaurant.
Was met with the restaurant's staff and we told
her we made a reservation at 5pm.
Was thinking she would usher us to a reserved
table but No. We were place next to 3 customers
in less than half a metre. BTW there are only
One table with customers. They had 90% of empty
tables, with some reservation sign spotted. We
made a request to sit another table but was
rejected also. She told us is ok to sit nearly
conjoined. I then shift the table to make some space for us as one of the customer beside us needed to leave his seat.
She came back and asked us to pushed the table
back nearly to conjoined again. I reasoned that we
are too close but she wouldn't budge.

Went to Maru and tried their unlimited KBBQ option ($24.90 for weekends per pax)! They also have mains that are ala carte that looks pretty good😋

KBBQ was decent, with a wide option of items being marinated/non marinated! There is not much Seafood options (sorry to seafood lovers🤧) but its an affordable pricing hence understable😅 Overall ratings are a 7/10 and would visit again if I feel like eating kbbq🤣

Paid about $27.4 each for lunch. There was a 2hr limit. The chicken (soy and spicy) was quite good! Will come back again.

Very mediocre dining bbq buffet experience at this place.

The side dishes were decent, while the soup was pretty good. However, given that the bbq meats were really off the mark, I’m forced to give this place a subpar rating, despite the reasonable price.

The meats were either strange in flavour or really bland, probably contributed by the unusual bbq cooking method - steel plate lined with baking paper with very weak fire. The meat tasted as though they were boiled in plain water and not barbecued like they are supposed to.

Will not recommend this place to anyone for their bbq, if you’re forced to eat here maybe you’ll have more luck with their ala cart stews.

Picked MARU as a spot for our yearly Chinese New Year gathering with a couple of friends — pretty satisfied with the spread here. No doubt this isn’t the free-flow style buffet that one can help themselves to the counter, but the ala-carte buffet here certainly still feeds us pretty well. For $21 (before service charge), they were pretty generous with the banchan while also comes with soup on the side, Kimchi Pancakes and Gimbap altogether. The meats were also pretty decent without being excessively heavy on flavour — didn’t find ourselves getting too jelak over the meats nor dousing water constantly throughout the meal. Was also pretty impressed that the servers were also getting round the tables helping out with the cooking of the meats (which included different cuts of chicken, pork and beef marinated in various styles); a good deal considering the price. No doubt it lacks the fun that other places have considering the variety is pretty limited (no seafood nor much vegetables to go with on the grill) and for the fact that it isn’t a self-service buffet concept, but the quality and service did certainly made up for it at the price. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable Chinese New Year gathering spots that we have had over the past few years.