In an ever growing effort to embrace my inner Korean-ness I was fortuitously invited by the lovely Jennifer K to experience the sexy Seoulju UYE and try out the hot new kid on the north block, Maru & Maru Sake Bar.
Walking into the dark space accented with black lights I couldn't help but conjure up possible sightings of dancers named Mercedes and Lexus clinging to day-glo poles, but the only thing salacious here at Maru is the unending undulations by androgeonous K-Pop Idols and airbrushed Korean male shirtless torsos via a continuous feed of MTV Korea videos.
Maru offers a good representation of Sake-tini's and "Bitch Drinks" and the snack food offerings like the (very) spicy yakitori with gochujang and mozzerella offer an interesting contast to the sake & soju based libations menu.
I ordered the shrimp rolls which we're okay, but judging by the concensus of my Yelp peers, it's all about the sashimi here at Maru. It's a well known fact that I am not a fan of the sashimi and raw fish delicacies, but growing up the daughter of a Japanese restauranteur, I know good quality sashimi when I see it, and Maru served up a chic parade of fresh and creative sushi/fish dishes that could easily hold their own against any high-end Japanese establisnment.
Service here is supreme as Chef Andrew and the servers made every effort to attend to our needs in a gracious friendly manner. On a random note the ladies facilities were very clean and had a toilet seat covers dispenser and a TP caddy, which scores a bonus in my books!
My one regret for visiting Maru, is that it made me realize that unlike my "Seoul brothas & sistas" I do not have any K-pop dance moves game whatsoever
:( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0